Runeterra Retold
by LoLGoau
Summary: League of Legends and its characters are property of Riot Games. I do not own, work for, or know anyone who does work for Riot, made the characters, or anything else. I am only a fan. This is my own telling of a story based in the new lore with different interactions from my previous stories. I do not know how far it will go.
1. Chapter 1: Home Again

**_Author's Note:_**

_Sigh. What's there to say? I've just not had the inspire to write despite wanting to. Now, I'm going to just attempt to return to writing. This will be basically a restart for me. _

_For those wondering, this will hopefully be a story of Runeterra without the Institute of War and the League of Legends with events that, for the most part, did not happen. For those who like the new lore and like this, good on you. For those who do not like the new lore and do (not) like this one, good on you. For me, I just want to write again._

* * *

"Hmm." He hummed as he watched the scene play out before his eyes.

His two colleagues, one being a tall woman with long, silvery hair, pale white skin, and bright purple eyes and the other one being a shorter male with dark layer of skin, bright eyes that shone through the otherwise pitch darkness, and a high-pitched voice.

There was a third member of their group, but he was not watching so much as waiting for their squabble to end. Out of the four of them, he was the most level-headed, possibly from his many years of life, and yet he often decided to let them… discuss their problems rather than let them build up.

To some, this was a good idea and showed his wisdom. To him, it was an excuse to not mentor to them, which was why the three of them had come to meet the magus.

After several minutes, he began to look around, hopeful of finding something of interest that was at least a little new to him and mildly interesting. Sadly, it was mostly depressing or on edge.

Soldiers in heavy armor and armed with wicked weapons patrolled the streets, some with prisoners, as others pleaded with them to not take their loved ones, testifying that they were innocent, and offering to go in their place. Elsewhere, other soldiers, off duty or on a break, were causing a disturbance inside one of the buildings, an inn or hotel by the look of it. Either they were drunk and gloating, or someone had said something that upset them… when the sound of glass breaking emerged from the building followed by a series of gasps and laughter, it could be either.

Finally, he saw something that wasn't like the rest of the little village, and he found his excuse to walk away from his colleagues.

"Stay out of trouble and be back before sunset." His mentor said.

He waved in response. "Got it." He replied.

"I would rather not have to deal with an incident involving this… 'curfew' business." His mentor added.

There had been a string of murders as of late, both civilians and soldiers, and the guards had issued a curfew until they found the guilty party; who they believed were a radical group for the freedom of the land, the expelling of the foreigners, and the people's rebel.

If they spent a quarter of the time being as diligent and orderly as they preached they were, instead of triumphant and cocky as they were showing themselves to be, they'd know that one of the sober buddies just walked away with the culprit in his arms.

He followed after the pair, his eyes locking with the culprit for a moment. He noticed the smile for him, a promise for something later, but he would rather not wait until that later. After all, there was no telling when he'd be leaving, and this seemed like the kind of person he should at least have as an acquaintance.

One thing his mentor always told them was to seek knowledge, even if that meant dealing with dangerous and untrustworthy people.

As he followed the pair, it didn't take long for them to make a turn into a shady part of the village, namely one of the abandoned houses, either from the residents fleeing or being taken away, and disappeared inside. Of course, he followed them inside… until the guard noticed him.

He turned to him with a confused look, and then a glare. "Beat it, kid! Can't you see I'm-"

His companion silenced him with a finger to his lips and a haunting look. "It'll be okay…" It was the voice that would make even the most resilient of chastened forsake their vows of purity. "And it might even be more fun to someone watch us."

The guard seemed to forget about everything else and only see his companion, as though put into a trance. "If it is what you want, then yes…" He said like a dump-struck simpleton.

His companion looked past him toward their viewer and flashed that same previous and promising smile. "Keep quiet, and I'll let you indulge in my charms next."

* * *

He blinked, barely able to believe what he had just seen. The guard had just been reduced to a love-struck idiot to a woman who had, literally, sucked the life out of him and was now sitting on his smiling corpse as she looked at him with a pair of hungry, golden eyes. "So, are you ready to begin?" She asked as she cocked her head to the side with a playful smile.

He took a breath, steeling himself, and shook his head and smiled a small but friendly smile. "Hmm, thanks, but no thanks." He replied.

"Oh come now," she began as her golden orbs watched him step away from the door rather than through it; considering what she thought some would think if they saw her do what he did, this was very interesting to her. "I could turn your world into heaven in just a few moments." She offered with a teasing gleam in her eyes.

Again, he refused. "As tempting as that sounds, and as much as I believe you, I will still have to refuse. Magic-" he gestured to the body she sat next to "-can lead to terrible things." He finished.

She closed her eyes and shrugged as she turned her head to the side, away from the body. "But it can lead to great and wondrous things." She opened her eyes halfway as she looked up at him again. "Will you tell me a secret… mage?" She asked.

He turned his head when he heard something about an event that was to go on today, and, when he looked back, she was standing in front of him without having made a sound.

He did not startle. He did not blink. He was a mage, one born with the gift of magic, but his magic was… something else.

The raven-black haired woman's golden yellow eyes met his, a promise and desire for something from him, and draped her arms around him, feeling him through his clothes as she spoke to him. "You wouldn't regret a moment of it." She leaned in to whisper into his ear.

"I promise…" She quietly said.

The mage closed his eyes and smiled, placed his hands on her arms, and… a feeling of cleansing drifted over him, through her even, and he gently pushes her away from.

He opened his eyes. "Fox-girls-" her expression turned to shock and her eyes widened, "-aren't my thing." He finished with an easy smile on his face.

She stepped back, putting distance between them, and continued to back away.

Neither of them said a thing… and then she turned and was gone in a flash of blue.

He blinked his eyes, his smile faded, and he looked toward the body. He looked at the door, wondering to himself if he should hide the body, run out and pretend that he just found it, or use his magic to leave. "None of those ideas sound good." He said as he started to look for a back entrance. "I'm in enough trouble for using magic, and running out would only make the other guards think I had some part in the death." He said to himself.

He managed to find a back entrance, or rather a window he could climb out with the aid of a bar stool, and waited for a patrol of guards to pass before he climbed out. "Actually," he mumbled to himself, "they'll think I'm guilty if they think they saw me walk in."

He decided to make his way back to the front of the village and wait for his mentor and colleagues to come by on the way out; less chance of dealing with guards, of being accused of a crime he didn't commit but did nothing to prevent, or something else.

As he waited, he noticed that there wasn't much traffic into or out of the village, aside from a few guards returning to or from scouting or patrolling assignments. There wasn't much traffic, but there was one person coming in.

This person wasn't a guard from some foreign land or even a resident of the island, or at least not from any part he had ever seen. He wasn't a resident because he had a deep, orange-colored skin tone, and he wasn't from a land he knew of because he was dressed in a mix of clothing styles from two places one would never see mixed together.

The guards on duty watching the village entrance seemed to notice too and rose to meet the newcomer.

As they went to meet him, he decided to take the opportunity to go back into the village. He figured it was best to be accused of a death than to be a witness to one; guards or innocent.

As he walked back to where he remembered his group was, he caught the glimpse of long, raven-black hair in the corner of his eye; the girl from earlier was still around, probably waiting for him to leave.

He didn't mind or care, assuming she didn't make trouble for him, but he hoped she didn't try to tempt him again or go after him. Had he known she was trying to keep her identity secret, he wouldn't have said anything, but there was nothing he could about it now.

When he came across his party again, they were surrounded by guards. _"I wonder what happened: 'mortal matters', 'lesser beings', or 'the short joke'."_ He asked himself as he looked on.

There were only a few onlookers, less than ten actually, watching from the streets or by the houses, and he was the only one getting closer until a guard noticed him and pointed with his battle axe. "You!" The guard called out. "Stop where you are and put your hands in the air!"

He did as the guard ordered, putting his hands into the air and stopping, and watched as the guard, along with a few others, battle hardened soldiers working as guards for the time being by the look of them, and moved toward him.

When they got to him, only the one brandishing his weapon, and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him along. "Keep your hands in the air and walk!" The guard ordered.

He didn't speak, but followed the orders and walked beside and behind the guard who kept him held while the soldiers, hands on their weapons he noticed, walked behind the two of them. He was then thrown into the group of guards and soldiers, all of them with weapons out, and fell to the ground; not even trying to keep his footing.

"Are you ready to leave yet?" He heard his mentor ask.

He looked up and first saw his friend offering a hand to help him up, then his other colleague watching with distaste in her eyes, and finally his mentor with his usual expressionless face. He accepted the help up, it being not much of help but it was the sentiment that mattered, and nodded to his mentor. "I am, yes." He said.

"Good. Now then…" His mentor said before he began to search the group of soldiers. "Where is your commander? I will have words with him and sort this matter out." He said.

The mage put his hands behind his head and looked around with his eyes, ignoring the glares and gleam of weapons, before he knelt down, hands still in the air, and spoke to his friend. "What happened to encourage this?"

"You left, a body was found, and people saw you with us." His friend said.

"Ah, so it's my fault." The mage concluded.

"And you lead us on yet another detour." His other colleague said.

The mage rolled his eyes. "Well, excuse me, princess." The response was a force of magic being aimed at him and hitting him in the head.

As he heard the back of his head, rubbing the wound, the soldiers shifted; a warning to the four of them to not use anymore magic.

Thankfully, about the same time, a more veteran-looking soldier stepped forward and directed his attention toward the mentor. "What the hell are you?" He questioned as he looked the mentor up and down.

"I am a magus, and I take it you are the commander?" He asked.

The veteran soldier gave a nod. "I am Captain Mortis, and these are my men." He said as he gestured to the soldiers around him. "Why shouldn't we have you four locked up in our containment camp until we decide whether to kill you or draft you?" He asked.

His mentor did not flinch. "I have already spoken with your Grand General in the past, and we have been granted rights to come and go here as we wish." He said, and then turned to his 'teacher's pet' type student. "Syndra, show him the note." He said.

Syndra, his other, less helpful colleague, nodded and produced an official note from the inside of her clothing and handed it to Captain Mortis.

The soldier looked over the note before handing it back. "Give my regards to the Grand General the next time you see him." He said, and then signaled for his men to part and make way for him. "Capture them." He said.

His mentor turned to his shorter colleague. "Veigar." He said simply.

White teeth showed out from night black fur when Veigar smiled, and then the area around the four erupted into darkness as five walls appeared and pushed the soldiers away from him, pushing some into a building, before they bent outward, spun with the ones they captured, and threw them away before vanishing.

The soldiers who weren't grabbed were unphased, and so they shouted war cries as they charged toward the four. The other three did not act as Veigar worked his magic.

The skirmish did not last long as he raised his arms out to his sides and emitted a force of magic, throwing the soldiers back several meters away before looking to the captain and making a grabbing motion toward him.

A second later, Mortis, his drawn sword trapped at his side by the black magic hand that grasped him, was pulled back to the group. "How dare you! You are making an enemy of Noxus! You will regret this!" He threatened.

The mentor moved forward. "No, we won't, or at least not any more than we already are as I'm sure you've read." He said. "Now then, we are going to leave, and, as we do, anyone following us will be killed and left where they drop." He added.

He then began to move away, with the mage, Syndra, and Veigar following.

As they did, the mage tapped Veigar on the shoulder and waited for him to turn his head and look up at him. "Are you going to let him go?" He asked, gesturing to the captain with a tilt of his head.

Veigar looked back at the captain, and then forward before making a backwards throwing motion with his hand.

The mage didn't even look back as he heard a startled cry, and then the sound of someone crashing into something. Veigar, more often than not, did not try to make friends or go easy on people.

It was a little bit of a surprise that the captain wasn't crushed by the magical hand of doom, but he didn't bother to look and see where he had landed.

The mage stretched his arms and placed his hands behind his head before he looked to his mentor. "So, where are we going now that Syndra's had a chance to revel in the downfall of her people?" He asked with a bored tone. He didn't care for or like the woman's attitude toward those she disliked, her desire to see first-hand their downfall, or her mockery of those she thought beneath her in one or more ways.

"I would prefer to stay and watch the executions take place today, but you had to go and kill one of the soldiers here." Syndra replied with an annoyed tone.

He decided not to continue the conversation. He was likely in enough trouble already, and it was probably best if he didn't have to worry about being thrown out of his bed in the middle of the night.

As they walked down the path, Syndra smiling to herself at the sights of soldiers bullying the citizens and Veigar keeping an eye out for trouble, the mage noticed the orange-skin toned man approaching. He guessed that the guards let him pass without trouble.

As the mage and man passed one another, the man spoke. "_Bla nishva gsh hold."_

The mage stopped in his tracks, leaving the other three to walk forward without him and the man to walk past him; only he broke his stride, and for good reason.

Those words felt like they had scratched at his very mind, making his head heard and causing him to just stop and stare forward. It was like nothing he had ever heard or felt before, and that wasn't the only thing…

"Goau? You're going to leave you."

The voice snapped him out of his thoughts with a start and he took a step back, and then looked around as though he had no idea how he had gotten where he was now.

After a moment, and when he got his breathing under control, he looked back at the three. "Wh-what? Did… did you three not hear that other guy we just passed?" He asked.

The three looked at one another, and then back to him and Veigar spoke to him. "We saw the guy, the one with orange skin?" He asked, and Goau nodded. "What did he say?" He asked.

Goau looked at the three; Syndra appeared disinterested, Veigar looked to be as concerned as a friend would be, and his mentor seemed to be in thought. "Well… he said _'Bla nishva gsh hold'_." He answered, the words feeling alien and bizarre as he spoke them.

His mentor pushed Veigar and Syndra out of the way to approach him, his eyes narrowing. "Is that what he said? Those exact words?" He demanded.

Goau nodded his head. "Do you know the language?" He asked.

His mentor turned around then. "That language is ancient Shurimian…" He spoke as though gazing back at the past; one he had left buried.

"What do they mean?" Goau asked.

"Those words… they mean 'you missed the show', but only myself and a very few others should know even a handful of that language." His mentor said.

* * *

As they left the village, Goau paused to look around. When he did, he noticed something very out of the ordinary. "Xerath." He said, calling his mentor by name.

The magus looked back at him questioningly. "What is it now?" He asked.

"That man we passed… there were twenty Noxian soldiers here before, and now they're gone." Goau said as he continued to look around, and then, when he couldn't find anything, walked onto the road and began to search the ground for any signs of a disturbance. "I think he killed and disposed of them without a sound."


	2. Chapter 2: What To Do

_**Author's Note:**_

_A little shorter than the last one, but that's because the next one will be a few, let's call them, summaries from other characters who are not in the immediate story. These will be reflections on the events that are happening within Ionia, why Noxus has basically taken it over, and some interactions with the rest of the world._

_I hope readers enjoy this one, that few, if any, are annoyed that I am keeping the Champions' and characters names, for the most part, a mystery until I feel it is appropriate to reveal them, and that the changes I'm making to the lore make some sense over all._

* * *

"_Why are we here in Ionia? That's because Syndra, the angry, evil person that she is, wanted to see firsthand what was happening to the people she had come to hate for attempting to restrain her and keep her powers bound. What she really wanted to do was watch the executions in the hopes of it being the elders whom she hates most, but, thankfully, we're not staying for that._

"_It was strange… meeting that fox-girl I mean. If not for my cleansing spell, she would probably have drained me like that Noxian soldier. Her disguise was also really good. I would not have noticed she wasn't human if not for my clairvoyance spell._

"_I wish I had it to see what that orange-skinned guy really was. To be able to kill 20 Noxian soldiers alone, and then disposing of the bodies without a sound… that isn't human. Even the four of us, mages of exception power and abilities, aren't that quiet… or skilled. There wasn't even a drop of blood or its scent on him._

"_The sooner we leave the better. I don't want any part of what he is, or what he intends to do here."_

* * *

"I think we should leave." Goau declared when he looked at the others.

Syndra crossed her arms and glared at him. "Because some random person scared you? Or is it you murdering one of the guards?" She asked.

Goau responded to her glare with a straight face, and then took a deep breath before speaking. "First off, I'm not the one who killed him, it was a fox-girl who drained the essence of life from the soldier and left him too exhausted to continue living." He then held up two fingers. "Second, I followed the two into the building, she wanted to drain me too, I used my cleanse spell to-"

"You used your magic!" Syndra blurted out, her tone turning to one of anger rather than irritation. "You can't-"

"Syndra." Xerath said, causing her to turn her attention to him and quickly calming down before she physically relaxed and looked away. Xerath then turned back to Goau. "We will discuss your use of spells later. For now, continue." He said as he gestured for him to go on.

"_At least my death won't be one of the ones on death's row."_ He thought to himself. He turned to his mentor then and continued. "I used my cleanse spell to dispel her… charm spell and my clairvoyance spell to see what she really was. She didn't look too bad either; nine tails, cute fox ears and whiskers, and a sensitive nose that twitched twice before sneezing." He said, thinking back to meeting the girl.

Syndra groaned as he spoke of his meeting of a young girl from Ionia, either assuming he was making this up of her being something inhuman yet retaining a human appearance or sick of hearing about people being interested in a woman for nonsensical things.

Little did she know that there was someone who watched those small, simple and _'nonsensical'_ movements and signals that she made when she did the simplest of things.

"After that, I left the building through a back entrance and went to wait for you three by the village entrance, and that's when I saw the man we should really be living because of." Goau answered as he pointed away from the village of Noxian soldiers, Ionian citizens, and at least a fox-girl who devoured essence and an orange-skin colored man who could kill as silently as an assassin in the dead of night.

"So then-" he said and clapped his hands together as he smiled. "Can we get out of here before this place goes from hell on Runeterra to hell in hell?" It sounded more like a plea than a question, which it was for the most part.

Xerath, however, was now interested in staying and turned back to the village. "This man, or thing, knows ancient Shurima, a language that has been long since lost after the fall of Emperor Azir. I am very much interested in what such a being is, why he is here, and what his plans are for after this." The magus said as he drifted toward forward.

Syndra smiled and followed him, lifting herself off the ground and summoning three of her psionic orbs. "I'll have to agree, and it looked like he came for the executions. Maybe he's just visiting to see some blood." She said.

Veigar looked between the three, and then let out a sigh as he clapped his hands together. "We're going back into hostile territory to watch an execution take place, find out why something we've never seen before is here, and we're not leaving for more important tasks and searches." When he pulled his hands apart, a staff was there, along with a metal plated gauntlet. "I'm not complaining. If it means I get to kill more Noxians, I'm in." He added as he put on the gauntlet.

Seeing as they weren't going to leave, Goau let his arms fall to his sides in defeat and walked on after them. "Say, Master Xerath…" He began.

"Yes?" The magus asked.

"Do I have to attend?" The mage asked.

"No, but do not leave the outskirts of the village. I do not want you too far away." Xerath requested.

Goau nodded. "Sure. Maybe I'll hang out with the temptress who tried to kill me, or I'll try to find the secret clan of shadow ninjas who've been going around freeing captured Ionians from the tyrannical oppression of Noxus." He said half-heartedly.

"The Kinkou order have already been found and are being dealt with by Zaunite mercenaries. If they don't kill them first, this place won't be worth the manpower it took to take." Xerath replied with a sober tone. Even if he didn't outright say it, he found it disgusting that the Noxians had invaded the land and were now destroying its 'precious' resources to snuff out what little resistance was left in Ionia.

"All the more reason to-" Goau was about to say, but then stopped when he saw a march of soldiers approaching.

The four of them stopped, and then Xerath shook his head. "I'll take care of this. Don't kill them Veigar." He said.

Veigar put his staff down and let the magic fade from his hands. "Alright. I'm sure there'll be plenty to kill in the village center." He said.

Xerath drifted forward, holding up one of his arms in greeting as Goau turned a corner and went to find something else to do. "Good gentleman. We are only on our way to see the display of power Noxus…" He brought his hand down as though he were wielding a hammer and caused an arc of magic to shoot from his hand to the first soldier to all the other soldiers until the last one was hit and they began to stop as their armor melted together. "At the execution today. Assuming, of course, we do not have to kill the guards, the soldiers, and part of the audience until only the executioner, prisoners, and whoever else is left." He finished.

He then snapped his fingers, causing the magic to sizzle off of the soldiers and allowing them to move again; in this case, to fall onto the ground like they were hit by a tranquilizer. "Is there an admission fee, if you do not mind my asking?" He asked.

* * *

"I know you're there." Goau said. "You can stop stalking me now." He added.

There was silence… and then the sound of movement and creaking, like someone was running away.

"Or you can go away. Both work for me." He said to himself as he was left alone again. He decided to go out of the village, leaving through a side entrance that appeared to have once been a wall fortified to keep out local wildlife.

When he was outside, he stretched his arms and leaned back against a stable part of the wall. As he did this, he put one arm behind his head and used the other one to open a magical grid.

This grid, in its arcane writing, was something like a spell book for him, like leaving a glyph that told a secret or a calling card. This one, unique to Goau, held information on his spells, allowing him to view which ones he could use at his current strength, the ones he had used and could still use, and times for each one.

He was a mage, meaning there were rules he had to follow whenever he used magic, and one of those rules was that he could not use the same spell in a quick session.

Suddenly, his hand stopped drawing in air and he looked to his left. He saw a man with most of his hair tied back with a length of cloth, armor on his left shoulder and the elbows and wrists of his arms, a tattered cloak around his shoulders, a long sword at his waist, and a pair of baggy-ish pants. He then looked back to his magical grid. "You'll die too and save no one." He said bluntly.

"I know." The warrior replied.

"We're not going to help." Goau said.

"Many will die."

"If even one of us helps, more will die, and one or more of us will have given up our lives for nothing. We're only here because one of us hates this place." Goau said.

The warrior was silent for a moment. "What would you suggest then? These invaders are here, killing my people and the land, and you and your friends are the only ones I have seen who can stand against them."

"If we wanted to make an enemy of Noxus, we wouldn't be here at all. We'd be back on Valoran, working with Demacia, and fighting against them, but that's not what we want to do." Goau replied. "If you can find people, I could convince one of my friends to help carry you and others away from here." He added.

"We should abandon our home?"

"My home has become the domain of a lich who is now building an army of the undead and treating it like a rising kingdom. I left it, and not a day goes by I regret that choice." Goau replied.

He heard the warrior shift on his feet, and then turned his head to see him looking toward the forest… the forest people, Ionians and Noxians alike, believed rebels hid and worked to attempt to oust the Noxians. "How long do we have?" He asked.

Goau swiped his hand, removing the grid, and then pushed himself off the wall to turn to the warrior. "At least someone you know had to have seen the giant, floating ziggurat. Find it, wait outside it somewhere close by, and we'll be there when those three are done." He explained.

The warrior nodded his head once, and then looked back to him. "My name is Yasuo." He said.

"Mine's Goau. The little one is Veigar, the blue guy is Xerath, and the mean one is Syndra. I hope to see you there." Goau said, and then started to go back into the village, but stopped. "Oh yeah. Hey Fox Girl!" He called out. "Don't kill anyone and you can come along too." He said.

The warrior, Yasuo, looked at him strangely, and then was startled when a blue flash appeared and a raven-haired woman appeared. She looked at Goau with soft eyes, as though questioning him. "You won't tell anyone?" She looked at the both of them. "Either of you?" She asked.

Yasuo blinked at her, confused, so Goau had to answer. "She's been killing Noxians, you can trust her." He said. "I need to think of something to say to convince my friend to allow passengers." He added with a sigh.

"Good thing she doesn't have a good side for people to be on. Otherwise, this would be really difficult." Goau mumbled.

* * *

_Coming up next, who the heck is being executed and how they feel. Also, the introduction of one of my favorite characters in this story._


	3. Chapter 3: Reflections of the Fallen

**_Author's Note:  
_**

_This one actually took awhile to come up with as I've had some trouble thinking up the third part of this chapter, since I explained a lot of it in the first two.  
_

_Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys, and I will be using in the next chapter, as going without names would be difficult for me. Please enjoy._

* * *

_**Part One: Resistance**_

She hated herself.

There were many reasons for this self-hatred, but the main one was her own failure to prevent the Noxians from invading, the fall of her order, Ionia's fall, and now the disassembly of the council of Elders.

She had been the one to first notice something odd when the foreigners began trading with Ionian merchants, but her orders were to observe and learn their ways.

At first, it only appeared that they wanted to trade, a mixing of cultures through peaceful means… and then it began.

Noxians, as they were called, began to venture out of the port villages, exploring the other islands, villages, and monasteries.

They claimed to only want to explore-

_She gritted her teeth at the memory of their kind words, proclaiming the beauty of the land and how they hoped it would last._

All they wanted was to plan their invasion, seeking out crucial points of interest for trade, troop movements, resources, and political power, and they did. She had seen the detailed maps they had made, easily recalling the smiling faces of happy villagers and guides, people who had grown up seeing the good in people, showing and explaining the lay of the land to the eager tourists.

_A drop of blood falling on the cold stone floor told her to loosen her fist, and, with a depressed sigh, she did so._

And then, the attack came in the dead and cover of night.

Hundreds of soldiers burst from tens of ships along the southern provinces of Ionia, overwhelming the unsuspecting villagers and holding them as hostages while they exploited the land for resources, money, and essentially slave labor.

_She had lost sleep during those days, pushing herself to her absolute limits trying to help in whatever way she could… but she was still too young for infiltration, scouting into enemy lines, and eliminating enemy scouts._

The Noxian invasion continued in force, but it drove the fighting spirit of Ionia to the surface.

_She smiled a small smile at the memory. For every drop of Ionian blood that was spilled, a Noxian soldier fell in battle. The people of Ionia would not give up their land or allow brutish invaders to do as they pleased._

But then… their reinforcements, in the form of Zaunite chemists, began their attack.

They attacked Ionian villages with deadly gases and violent liquids that burned like fire and caused unspeakable harm, but that only resulted in inspiring more of Ionia to band together and fight.

The battle turned into a war, and, eventually, it looked like the islands would be recovered and freed from the invaders, but then… that terrible day came.

_Her smile wilted like one of the flowers in the ruins of destruction that she had found when looking for survivors among the dead. She was never one for visions of the future, but she began to have a little more belief after that glimmer of hope nearly burned her finger off when she touched it._

She remembered the day she and the others were called back to the monastery when one of their own, one of three she had grown up with and trained with since she was a small child, had been banished from the temple for finding something he should not have.

After more than a year of war, and just when they were beginning to have renowned hope that everything would return to normal, everything began to change again… only this time, there would be no happy ending.

The fighting continued, and, slowly, Ionia was being conquered again. Only this time, it was partly from within and failing moral.

The ninja who was made outcast returned with an army of followers. In one night, nearly all of the Kinkou order was killed; their ancestral home was lost and taken by the traitor and his newly formed clan, the Order of Shadows.

Her world had begun to fall apart at that point as the memories of her comrades dying returned in her nightmares, the face she had once known to belong to a friend smiling with the head of one of her masters in his hand, and the knowledge that many of her friends and comrades would never be seen again, killed or captured by one of their own turned to darkness.

The nightmare had only just begun as Noxian and Zaunite forces began to attack with renowned aggression and fresh reinforcements. Without the stealth, scouting, and silence of the Kinkou order, the Ionian army, led by the siblings Zelos and Irelia, could not keep them at bay.

The Elders called upon the surviving members of the Kinkou to aid them, to which she and the others did to the best of their abilities, but many of them were still wounded, resulting in poor performances on the field, more care and attention when they were resting and recovering, and, finally, the decision by Shen, the son of the late leader and master, to refuse missions that took them into dangerous territory.

The Elders, Zelos and Irelia, and others were saddened by the news, but they understood and agreed to Shen's request.

Without their best scouts, more Ionian soil was given to the Noxian forces. The only blessing was that the Order of Shadows attacked the Noxians and Zaunites, but they were not allies of the Ionian resistance.

_The Ionian resistance… it seemed like such a long time ago that they had an army, now reduced to a resistance, but, after long months of guerilla combat tactics, it was all they could do to fight back._

Eventually, and inevitably, Noxian scouts gained a critical advantage from a captured Kinkou: the location of the next meeting place for the leaders of the resistance.

_Were her wrists not shackled to the ceiling and her ankles to the floor, she would have strangled herself with her own chains in atonement for being captured and giving up such information. It hadn't even taken them days to accomplish. All they did was bring in a single mage, a sorceress, and she extracted the information with little more than her looks and a handful of words._

Some had escaped, but it was not nearly enough to matter.

Ionia had lost to the invaders, and now it was just a matter of time before all of it was lost.

* * *

**_Part Two: To the Last_**

The battle had been lost, but it was not through a lack of commitment and trying.

_She alone had ended so many lives, killed so many enemies, and yet it was all for not and ultimately in vain._

Ionia had fallen, there was denying that truth or trying to hide it, and, to make matters worse, their enemies would not allow them to fall gracefully or quickly destroyed.

No. The Noxians intended to make their defeat complete and without a doubt by crushing their spirits through forced occupation, 'provided' protection and knowledge from and of the rest of the world, and elimination and recreation of their own government.

In reality, Noxian soldiers would occupy Ionian villagers, acting as protection from dangerous rebels who had yet to surrender, the ninjas from the Order of Shadows, and educate the people in matters of more effective governing of people and home. All in exchange for the natural resources of Ionia, trees, mines, crops, etc, and indentured servitude of all Ionian adults and prisoners of war.

_She bore a large bruise on the side of her face for spitting in the face of the warden who told her these. Had she not been chained as she was at the time, she would done much worse than that._

The final stand had been at the Placidium, where the last of Ionia's fighters had gathered for one final push, even when others had wanted to surrender.

That stand turned into a push, despite her own encounter with death, and they forced the Noxians to give ground all the way back to their bases at the southern provinces, where she had to call for the rest of the army to stop, regroup, and begin to make fortifications.

_She did not allow herself or those she led to celebrate their victory. In war, a single turning point did not always confirm the overall victory… and now she did not know if that was the best decision. She wished she had given them the chance to bask in that temporary victory. If nothing else, it might have made the present events less devastating._

She had known about the trouble at the Kinkou monastery, and she should have spoken against the banishment of the fallen ninja. Recruiting him into the army, and turning his new found skills against the enemies of Noxus, would have been better than forcing him to wander the islands.

She and her brother should have helped the Pallas Temple Guardian find peace within himself, or pointed the problem to one of the Elders, but, instead, she had recommended he go on his own and fight against Noxus in his own way; alone. The number of enemies he killed was nothing compared to the number he could have had he stayed in the army.

_There were so many problems they had to address, but the more immediate one was the liberation of the rest of Ionia. 'A nation cannot be defeated until it first defeats herself,' Ionia had slowly but surely broken itself apart, and for no other reason than because of failure to keep themselves together._

The Kinkou monastery had been overtaken and destroyed by an army of shadow-wielding ninjas, who then took over the temple and converted it into their own training grounds. At least this new Order of the Shadow fought against the Noxians, but they did not work with the Ionian army; leaving Ionia without their best scouts and assassins, and being forced to watch for enemies from within.

The Pallas Temple was not the only location to have fallen, but a number of villages and tribes all over Ionia had been completely or nearly wiped out by Zaunite chemists and bombardments. The horrors of war, to the fallen and those that survived, left a mental impact that could not be easily ignored. For every soldier encouraged to fight harder, there was another who either lost the will to fight or began to falter and became injured in battle.

They had just won a great victory, pushing back the invading forces to their starting point, but it left a lasting effect on all of the defenders.

_She remember, at times, when someone would come up to her with a report on what the scouts had found, and they had asked if what was left of their home was worth fighting for and further endangering. At times, even she was unsure of how to answer, and even asked herself that same question._

By the time the Noxians attacked again, it was in an overwhelming force against half-determined and half-demoralized resistance.

Only a few weeks in, and the army was reduced to a resistance in hiding, with many of their forces breaking off to accept defeat and surrender.

_It was one thing to order soldiers to battle invaders, but it was another to request one to kill a deserter. There was no winning, just defying the inevitable with hope of another miracle taking place._

Finally, the end had come, and the resistance had been found, captured, and turned into scattered groups to be picked off one by one.

The leaders, politically and militia, were captured and taken prisoner, leaving the rest of the resistance to fend for themselves.

_She only hoped they were still alive and would flee, somehow and someway, from the islands._

For her and others… only death awaited.

The only hope she held now was that the memories and horrors she had seen, committed, and asked and ordered others to do would not follow her.

* * *

_**Part Three: Acceptance**_

She was glad it was all finally over, even if she did not like the result and the knowledge that her people would be subjected to tyrannical rule and slave labor.

Physically and emotionally exhausted beyond the boundaries of a normal person... all she wanted to do was sleep, and even that, now, was something she could not do, but it was outside of her control this time.

_She slowly opened her eyes and turned her head back after she was slapped._

"Stay awake! _~a short laugh~_ 'Elder'. It's almost time for your final speech."

_She leaned her head back, against the stone wall, and looked stared toward the dark, shadowy ceiling._

She had worked with her peers and those of rank she had been entrusted to lead, and a leader... she had proved herself to be, even if those she had led were now defeated, her peers either dead or captured as well, and the army, turned into a collection of guerrilla fighters working in the jungles, was broken and leaderless.

Or at least she hoped someone had risen to lead them away from this land, and, hopefully, to a better home.

_She leaned her head to the right to avoid a blow, a backhand, from the one who had hit her before. The back of hand did come into contact with her pained face, but not enough for it to completely hurt her._

"Look at me when I'm talking to you, bi-"

There was a heavy sliding sound, steel on stone, and then the sound of footsteps in heavy boots approaching.

"Commander! Sir!" The guard went to attention; his armor shifting as he quickly moved.

There was silence that she didn't care enough to look up at to see who it was or what they were doing. She heard more noise, the two moving around, and then the sound of keys being jangled.

A hand grabbed her chin and she was forced to look at the face of the commander.

He was a large man in his prime, though he was leaving it as his hair was receding and turning white in two streaks. There were a number of spikes on his armor, four on his shoulders and elsewhere for intimidation from friend and foe alike, but she didn't need to see all of his armor to recognize him by the look of his face.

"Try anymore of that magic, and you will watch the rest of the people of this village die before you. Do you understand?" He asked her.

_She had given up on fighting several days ago, but it was difficult to tell if death would be more preferable to the people than what they would face in their long term futures._

"Yes."

_It was no longer her place to decide their fates anyway. If they wanted to fight, that was their choice, but she would knowingly and willingly condemn them to the promise of a swift, if eventual, death._

The commander rose and looked to his soldier before giving him a single nod. "Tie her wrists and lead her to the site." He ordered. Although she did not look up, she could tell by his tone that he did not want his subordinate to do anything else to her.

She then heard footsteps as the commander walked away, as well as the light shuffling of armor as the soldier relaxed and went to do as he was ordered.

For her, and two others at least, the end was near...

And they could finally rest after at the end of a hard fought war.

* * *

_Well, that's over. Next up is a chapter that takes place elsewhere. I'm sure a lot of you, maybe, are wondering why Noxus has been able to invade Ionia even with no mention of Demacia (they are still at war with each other by the way, no Institute of War means no treaty to prevent it). Well, think of it no more, because the next one is the front of that war._

_And I promise, this one won't take... 2 months(?) to come out._


	4. Chapter 4: On the Front

_**Author's Note:**_

_Well, a lot has happened. My computer got a virus, so I had to crash it down and I lost my Microsoft Word programs, the 2010 edition, so I couldn't use them to help me write this. Sorry for the mistakes. _

_Now, this one is centered around the front between Demacia and Noxus, and will explain some of what is going on in this one and the next chapter. For those looking for what is happening in Ionia, that is coming up after this. I figured it would be best to do this first._

_Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter._

* * *

"They're releasing the monster!"

"Men! To arms! We have to stop it's advance toward the gate!

"Archers; to your towers!

"Foot soldiers; form up in front of the gate! We will push it back!

"Have any of the scouts returned?"

_"Humans are such noisy creatures..."_ She thought to herself as she was helped into her armor.

The human commander, a man by the name of Arnold, had assumed command of the fort after leading her and her escort there. He was a loud man, louder than others she had seen because of his size and build, but he was also strong and loyal, willing to put his life on the line at a moment's notice.

Him being at the front of the wall of shield bearers was all that kept the foot soldiers from turning and running; though it did nothing to stop them from shaking in their boots at the mention of the Noxian war monster that was coming at them.

"You do not have to do this." Said the man who had led her to the fort. "I can have the men barricade the gate while we evacuate." He reminded her.

The soldiers of the fort had made a large commotion when the two of them, or more specifically when he, arrived. At first, they had stared in awe, thinking they were seeing a ghost, and then they began rejoicing as though a long-lost brother had come home after years.

And yet... he was more surprised by their comments than their reactions.

Something was wrong, she knew it from his tense demeanor and resolved glare, but she did not know what it was that troubled him.

However, that was not their immediate concern. Right now, their concern, and focus, was on the war at hand and, more importantly, the threat she was about to face.

She shook her head, not stopping as she continued to put on the armor she had been provided. "These men are acting like children being picked on by a bully." She informed. "Someone has to put a stop to it, or nothing will change." _"And running away is not the solution; we both know that."_

That was what she wanted to tell him, but he already knew that. After what they had been through, they both knew that.

"Are you sure you do not want me to fight with you?" He asked her, even though he knew her answer.

She nodded her head. "Tell your people to not intervene. I do not want to have to pick between dodging this monster from the front and arrows from behind."

With that, he began to leave, but not before taking the sword from his belt and leaning it against the table.

She turned her head to him, and her fiery eyes expressed confusion for a moment until she smiled softly. "Why did you even accept that?" She asked, forgetting about the tension of the moment for just a moment.

He, however, did not. "It's my grandfather's sword. He was killed by the same foe you are about to face." He said with an emotionless tone.

Her eyes turned toward the sheathed blade, and then back to him. She waited until he turned to face her, and then shook her head. "You've seen me with a weapon." She reminded him before she adjusted the gauntlets on her hands.

"My kind are weapons."

* * *

_Blood._

_That was what was waiting for him, what he craved._

_He wanted out._

_He wanted to be free._

_To kill._

_To crush._

_To... to..._

_... he wanted to remember._

_The only why he could remember who he was, what he was, was to fight._

_In fighting, he remembered.  
_

_In killing, he lived._

_In battle... he had what others called fun.  
_

_Soon, he could have his fun, he would be alive as he fought and killed!_

_He knew, the people outside were talking, preparing to move him from his cage and into battle._

_All he had to do was be patient for a little while longer..._

_And then... and then..._

_He would remember._

* * *

"Steady now men! All we have to do is let it out, and then run as far away as possible."

"But Sir, the last team was killed before it, I mean he, turned to fight the Demacians."

"Ah, that's why we've got the horses. He'll kill them before he kills our enemies, and we'll be back at camp enjoying a mug of ale with a steaming bowl of meat stew."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. Now, you get ready to slap the horses' rump while I get... this... thing... out of the wagon."

The two soldiers began to do their own tasks as they continued to talk. The younger, less experienced one tending to the horses, two mares that were destined most likely for death either by the... thing inside the sturdy, wooden cage or by arrows from the enemy archers and the older soldier offering encouragement while he dragged over the giant axe the behemoth of a monster would use.

Now and again, the younger soldier would glance back toward the fort the army was trying to take. They had been at this for weeks, but they had not been focusing on taking their objective. At least not until now.

They had been making preparations, digging in outside the fort, securing traveling routes for supplies for themselves and finding the ones the Demacian army used, and waiting until this large crate, the cage as his superiors had called it, arrived along with an escort led by a female mage.

She did not give her name, who she worked for, and barely spoke, but she did present an order from Grand General Swain, sealed and signed by the man himself. The woman then left without another word, and as mysteriously as she had arrived.

The thing inside the cage, no matter what he had been told, was a monster.

He had been told that this was one of the great heroes of Noxus, the warrior who had led the assault that ended the siege at Noxus's doorstep and charged through the ranks of Demacian soldiers until he reached the end and, with his bare hands, strangled King Jarvan to death before he was killed.

What the soldier had seen come out of the cage was nothing like a man turned legend; it was a demon from the deepest pits of hell brought forth by magic of the darkest cults.

It had killed soldiers of both sides, took a great deal of manpower to bring down, and, even after the battle, further causalities were mounted as the monster tried to keep fighting until, finally, it began to tire out, maybe, and could be returned to its cage until next time.

It was true that the thing was powerful, cutting down the Demacians like they were training dummies made of straw, and causing great damage to the heavy, wooden door that protected it. The gate was in a constant state of repair, and it wouldn't last another assault.

This was the last time Sion, the Undead Juggernaut of Noxus, would be released for this siege, and then, when he falls, Noxian troops would flood into the fort and take it from the Demacian forces.

The younger soldier finished fixing the horses' ropes to the cage, ready to run as soon as they were slapped and the ropes would be swiftly yanked off, freeing the monster from its prison, and he turned to his superior. "I'm done sir." He said.

There was silence.

"Sir?" He asked as he took a step away from the cage and behind the horses. "A-are you there? ...sir?" He asked with a frightened, worried tone.

Still, there was only silence.

He drew his sword slowly, careful and quietly so it made as little noise as possible, and then began to climb onto the back of one of the horses.

From his new vantage point... his eyes widened at what he saw, and quickly smacked his horse's rump with his sword to get the both of them moving.

Not a second later, an axe as large as him flew through the air and hit his horse, killing it almost instantly and throwing him off.

He tumbled off his mount and onto the ground. As he tried to get up and make a run for it, a heavy boot stomped down on his back, breaking his pelvis, lower spine and paralyzing him from the waist down, and causing him to cry out in sheer pain before he was silenced by another boot stomping his head into the ground.

* * *

She had to push her way through the thralls of people as she made her way to the front gate, many of them near to fleeing as is and some telling her to go back to safety.

A stern glare from her made them back away.

When she arrived at the front gate, she had to break stride for only a few seconds as it opened up, a direct order from her companion, and she began walking once more.

The sounds behind her turned distant as her eyes locked on a large, green dot charging toward the fort. With her keen eyes, she could see the glint of steel, broken by bloodstains from countless use on and off the battlefield.

She heard the thing approaching roar, a terror cry demanding blood and slaughter, as it charged. It was no wonder they called it a living battering ram, or a human siege weapon.

She halted her stride when she, to her estimate, fifty yards from the fort.

The Noxian forces had to release their weapon far enough from the fort that it could be deployed, but also far enough from their camp to make sure it did not turn on them.

Her eyes narrowed as she watched the monster charge toward her, and stood her ground, taking her fighting stance.

She was not a trained soldier, and so her form was that of an amateur.

She studied the monster as it closed the distance with inhuman speed for its size, analyzing the way it moved and flexed, which hand it wielded its weapon, and every detail she could gain from it.

Her companion had told her, as they traveled, that charging headfirst into battle was the best way to be killed. It infuriated her to no end to hear this, but, as he had demonstrated during short sparring matches, he always bested her, despite her strength.

_She was stronger than him, yet he always overpowered her. She was faster than him, yet he always struck the first blow. She was larger than him, yet..._

As the monster approached, she watched it raise its weapon above its head with its right hand and, when it was within range, brought the massive axe down with a roar.

And fire bubbled from her mouth as she stepped to the left. A blast of fire erupted from her mouth, blinding the monster and causing it to stumble as it could not stop running.

_...he always offered her a hand up._

* * *

He had expected to hit her, to cut her down, but her step to avoid and her attack were in such quick succession that he could not react in time.

It was no surprise that the monster lost its footing as he cried out in surprise and fury, and, while he did not fall to the ground, he did tumbled to a stop, rolling once before using his left hand to steady himself on one knee.

He did not remember much of his life, but his training and experiences were from instinct and

When it looked up with its charred face, he saw the woman was running at him through blurry eyes and was too stunned to do anything other then take the spin kick to the left side of his head.

What rational part of his mind was left told him that her strength was not human and it felt that his skull had suffered a crack from the blow.

_This woman was strong... which meant this was going to be fun._

He lunged himself forward as she landed, the blow appearing to have not even phased him, and pulled his left arm back to strike her.

As the blow came down, she punched his arm away with her right arm and hit him in his right side with a left jab, pushing enough of his weight on his right side to allow herself to crawl out.

He raised his right arm, axe in hand, to strike at her, but his aim was off when she kicked him in the chin, forcing his head up and making it unable for him to see her past his nose.

When his axe fell down, still attempting to strike her, he looked down in time to move his head enough to avoid her right jab, but he did feel the burning cut across his undead cheek. He leaned on his right side to let the momentum of her strike push her body forward, but he had to do so in a way that left him unable to counterattack.

He was backside, his right wrist turned with his axe still in the ground and his left hand being used to steady himself, and he was able to watch her fly through the air for a short time before landing and tumbling to her knees.

As he pushed himself up and pulled his axe from the ground, she turned to face him and returned to her fighting stance.

* * *

She panted as she watched it ready itself to continue fighting, and she noticed that instead of its wild, frenzied state from before... it was smiling.

Was this... thing enjoying fighting for its life?

She had only managed to avoid that axe blow by blocking its vision and turning on her side, saving her left arm in the process, and that was too close.

She was silently surprised that it was still moving as it was. It shouldn't have been able to turn its head with her earlier blow, and yet it had dodge her jab like it had expected it.

_"I guess it's not as mindless as the soldiers said it was."_

* * *

The two stared at one another for a time, each gauging the other with a cautious, calculating look. They were both ready for the battle, and both knew that the other was at least on par with the other.

One was smiling for the battle, silently overjoyed that he had finally found an opponent that could hold his own, or her own, against him; if only for a short time.

The other was flexing the fingers of her hands, knowing full well that this would be one of the toughest battles of her life, if not the toughest. She could only recall one battle, not too long ago even, when she knew that she would have to fight for her very life and right to live.

This time though, there was no one to fight with her.

... at least not with her in person, but she felt his eyes on her, watching the battle.

They did not attack one another right away, but then, as though something inside told them at the same time, their battle resumed. Only this time, there would not be a pause until one of them was dead.

* * *

He swung his axe in his right hand from right to left, forcing her to step back, and then raised his axe above his head and brought it down.

She lunged at him immediately after stepping back to avoid both attacks, attempting to strike with her both hands, but he used his left arm to block her attack.

He released his axe and hit her with his right hand in the left side of her front, causing her to grunt and lifting her off the ground a few inches and back a foot or two. He followed her back, gripping his axe in his left hand and turning his body to be able to do so.

She boiled with rage at being hit as she had been, feeling herself heat up, and prepared to spit another burst of fire at him as she landed on the ground. It took her a moment to regain her footing after having been lifted off the ground, and she backed up when she did.

She watched him as he kept his right arm in front of his body and his frame turned, putting one foot in front of the other as he followed her and using his right arm like a shield to protect him. She knew she could not launch another burst of fire at him, not like this, and so she punched forward with her left hand, aiming for his arm.

He stops in his movement when he feels her punch his arm, and attempts to grab her arm, to which he succeeds but she also grabs his arm; her fingers, more like claws, digging into the mass of undead flesh and muscle. He brings his axe down in his hand, shortening the distance from his hand and the blade, and uses it more like a club to hit her with the flat of the blade.

She steps forward, avoiding the blow, and launches her burst of fire into his face at point-blank range.

As he staggers back, his grip on her arm tightening, she begins a series of punches at his face.

During the blows, he brings his arm back, and, after the third blow, he swings at her; not knowing exactly where she is or what part of his weapon is closest to her.

He feels the blow connect, the back of his axe colliding with the right side of her head, and struggles to force her to the ground with his right arm gripping her left arm.

She is left dazed for a moment, allowing him to force her to her knees, but she recovers in time to strike him in his right knee, forcing him to use the shaft of his axe to keep himself from falling completely. She pulls her arm back again and manages to hit him again, only she was aiming for his weapon.

The hardwood shaft breaks under the combined force of his weight and her attack, and he is forced to use his left arm to keep himself from falling onto his side.

The both of them then drew their heads back, not knowing that the other had the same idea, and both their heads collide in a loud thud, both becoming dazed, letting go of each other, and recoiling.

She crawled away on her knees and her left hand, her head in her right hand as she felt warm blood, while he shook his head with his right hand on his head before turning to his now useless weapon.

He rises to his feet, his head remaining his hand, and rubs the charred and burnt skin from his face.

She begins to seethe with rage now, her breathing turning into flames as she begins to let her rage get the better of her. With her hand still on her head, she turns her burning eyes to her opponent, and then turns her body to him and roars as a change begins to take her.

Her armor begins to stretch and some of the straps break, her hands and feet become clawed and taloned, and scales grow out of her growing body. A thin but scaled armor webbing connects to part of her sides, forming partial wings, and her arms and legs grow as she shuffles to make room for her newly expanding body.

By the time he finishes clearing his vision and looks back at her, her appearance is that of a small dragon, a drake one could say, and fire builds in her mouth and flares out of her nostrils.

He does not react the way most would, but instead roars at her in return and stomps both of his feet onto the ground, firmly planting them, and holds his arms at his sides as if he expects her to jump into his arms.

She, now in her dragon form, crawls toward him at her previous running speed, and tackles him, this time lifting him from his feet, and causing him to grunt from the impact.

He lands, bounces really, on his back and manages to right himself into a sprinting crouch. He then raises his fists and charges at her as she charges, crawls, at him.

She claws at his chest, and he gives her a right hook. He grabs her by her extended throat, and she releases a gout of flame to force him to release her. She stands on her hind legs, becoming a foot taller than him and tries to claw at him with both of her claws, and he catches her right arm by the wrist and steps forward to grapple her around the waist while she claws at his back with her right claw.

He charges with forward with her in his arm, running toward the fort walls. She digs her taloned feet into the ground, trying to halt or slow his charge.

She manages to, only just, find a place where the ground is soft enough for her to dig in without her toes tearing off, but his charge is too strong to stop and he loses his grip on her, painfully so, as she hits the ground, his arm and hand nearly twisting her body around, and he is flung off her and crashes into the wall of the fort; shaking dust off of it when he hits it.

By this point, the pain is too great for her to stand and she begins to return to her human form, hugging her sides and groaning in pain.

As she arches her back against the pain, she notices her opponent, for the first time during their battle, is finally looking like he is hurting as well as he staggers to his feet.

Through her squinting eyes, she is able to see the glowing, red jewel on his belt shifting, going faint and glowing brightly as if there was something wrong with it; much different than the dim glow she had noticed throughout their battle.

Despite the damage and pain they were both in, he appeared to want to continue to battle as his green skin turns to a blood red. Heated breath begins to seethe from his mouth and nostrils, his eyes are lowered into a glare, and he straightens himself.

As he begins to march toward her, the jewel at his waist turns a solid dark red in color.

She breathes heavily as she watches him approach, and closes her eyes as she sees him coming closer... and takes a breath, her last breath, and holds it when she hears the footsteps stop.

"What is your name?"

She lets her breath out and opens her eyes. Above her, she sees her opponent, large, imposing, and blood red skin, stares down at her with hard, even eyes.

The look in his eyes... she had to remind herself that this was the same one, a monster she had been told, that only roared and slaughtered wave after wave of men on the battlefield.

But that look... there was something about it.

"What is your name, Demacian?" He asked her again.

She had to remind herself to breathe, and then she spoke in a pain voice. "Shyvana..." She says in between pants.

Her opponent did not move or say anything for a time, and then turned his head toward the fort. It was then that she noticed the sound of yelling and stomping of many, many armored feet; like when the soldiers were preparing to defend the fort.

He then looked back to her, meeting her eyes, and spoke. "I am Sion." He said plainly, and then began to march away, stepping over, rather than on, her.

She only laid there, unable to believe that she was still alive as she heard the footsteps fast approaching.

The last thing she remembered before she blacked out was the sound of her companion calling out her name.

* * *

**_Meanwhile, elsewhere..._**

_"Soon... soon my end of our bargain will be complete, and then you will-"_

_"Talking to your outside friend again, I see? I do wonder when you will introduce the two of us."_

_"Ah, I was just about to send for a messenger. Have you anything to report?"_

_"There is a problem."_

_"Where are they moving this time-"_

_"A 'real' problem."_

_"What? Are they suspicious? Did they find out?"_

_"No, they did not find out; **we **were found out."_

_"Explain."_

_"Come to the Garden. The Matron has forbidden me from speaking."_

_"... Very well."_

* * *

**_Yep. Stuff's going on. Hope everyone enjoyed._**


	5. Chapter 5: A Farewell For Now

_**Author's Note:**_

_Possibly the first chapter that will contain an alternate, author-produced version of the lore; for those who do not count Ionia being conquered by Noxus. This is partly reveal of how Jarvan and Shyvana met as well as other bits about Demacia and Noxus._

_The lore I am going with is, simply put, complicated and I hope it makes enough sense. For now, please enjoy:_

* * *

"Prince Jarvan. The Prince is here. He's come to lead us. His companion drove off that monster of Noxus."

All she heard were whispers and voices of people around her, all of them sounding grateful for the one they call 'Prince' coming to them in their time of need.

Indeed, without the two of them arriving when they did, he had told her it was likely the fort would have fallen and Noxus, the hated enemy of his home land of Demacia for generations, would have taken a strategic supply line from them.

However, what she wanted to know, while resting and healing from her battle with the said monster of Noxus, was what he was going to do next. He had told her that he'd be returning to Demacia as soon as possible, but then they had stopped to enter this fort.

At first, they were hesitant about letting them in, something about them not being sure if he was real or not. From what she had gathered, Prince Jarvan was already in Demacia after a journey he and a number of handpicked soldiers had went on. Only he and four of those soldiers had returned.  
For him to be there, at this fort and without any word announcing his arrival... she didn't know about military workings, but she guessed this was something more than a little strange.

She even gathered that from his reactions.

After a few minutes with the healers of the fort, Jarvan entered the room and closed the door. She was had noticed a number of people on the other side of the door, but he did not seem to want them in there.

He let out a sigh, a tired one, before he looked up and around at her and the healers. "Would you all please leave so that I may speak with my companion in private?" He asked them.

The healers, a mage of magic and two who were more surgeons, bowed respectively to him, quickly cleaned up their examination equipment and the bandages, and left through another door into an adjacent room.

Jarvan locked the door behind him before going and locking the door they had just left from.

This, whatever it was, was serious to him.

When he finished, he sat down next to her in a chair by the bed she laid in. By the look on his face, he was, surprisingly, more tired than her, and she was the one who was fighting. "Quite a change from fighting off the wilderness. Is this how humans usually fight?" She asked him as she tried to sit up.

She grunted and flinched, her muscles still sore from the battle and her chest in pain, but she was able to sit up.

"No, not usually like this. Wars are fought with men, steel, and leaders, not undead and black magic." He answered her.

She smiled. "I had fun, but it takes one abomination to understand another."

He shook his head. "You are no abomination Shyvana. You saved my life and we've fought together; you're a warrior." He informed her as he looked into her eyes.

She scuffed and laid back down on the bed, propping herself up with the pillow she had. "Do you think you can go home by yourself?" She asked, already having a guess as to what he wanted to talk to her about.

As she thought, he nodded. "Your strength is needed here more than it is at my side. I will be fine, and I will be given a small escort of soldiers from here; though I would prefer to travel with a smaller group." He explained.

It was too dangerous for the prince of Demacia to travel alone, or so the humans thought, but he knew the dangers of a large group. More people meant that it would be easier for the enemy to find him, and, for now, that enemy thought him dead.

"When that one, Sion, is dealt with, I will find you again." She said with a more causal but serious tone; the kind one would use when talking to a friend about a meaningful topic.

"So that's who it is..." He said in a hushed whisper.

She glanced toward him. "Do you know him?" She asked.

He nodded soberly. "He's the man, a hero of Noxus, who killed my great grandfather nearly a century ago and pushed Demacian forces back from Noxus itself."

She raised an eyebrow. "It sounds like you're afraid of him." She said, an almost teasing tone in her voice.  
"Were things not as they are, I would have fought him instead to avenge my ancestor and out of respect for the warrior he was, but..." His words trailed off.

She closed her eyes. "You wouldn't understand. Had you fought him, if you ever do fight him, you would have been slaughtered and he would have continued to attack until I got to him and fought him off." She stated blankly.

The two of them were silent for a time, he thinking over his own thoughts as she recovered, until he finally spoke again. "I will be leaving here tomorrow, and I've already informed the men to treat you with the same respect they would show my father and I. If you can, go to the blacksmith; he'll fit you with proper armor." He explained.

She nodded. "So, what do you think of this imposter? Is it flattery or a crazy fan?" She asked as she moved her hands behind her head, flinching as she resisted grunting from the pain, and finally relaxed. "And what are you going to take to prove yourself to them?"

He shook his head. "Everything was taken from me when I was left in that pit. The only thing I have left is..." His words fell; unable to say anymore as he put his head in his hands.

Shyvana groaned and rolled her eyes. "You're the prince of Demacia, get out of here and take your title from that usurper... is that right?" She asked.

"It's not as easy as that. Whoever is being this has infiltrated Demacia, the crown, and the whole of the military. It won't be as simple of going in there and pointing at my imposter-"

"Jarvan."

He stopped talking and turned to look at her when she interrupted him. She was giving him a face like a mother would give her child who was complaining about something that he was giving up on before actually trying it.

"You fought with me against my father's murderer, and you didn't even know me. I did not go to that pit to save you; I dove into the jaws of death seeking revenge and expecting to die. You faced down a black dragon with nothing but a broken wagon board and an ally who wouldn't speak to you, and what happened?" She asked.

He blinked at her, and then a smile appeared on his features. "I speared it in the mouth, closing its jaws, and held it in place long enough for you to rip its wings off." He replied.

Shyvana nodded and leaned back again. "We both should have died back there, but we didn't. My father was avenged, and you dragged me out of that hole and nursed me back to health." She said, and he nodded. "Father always said it would be difficult to trust a human because they would see me as a monster, most of them anyway." She added quickly.

"I do not abandon those in need Shyvana, even in circumstances like this." He said in his own defense.

She breathed out a sigh. "Just don't get yourself killed. I'd hate to see this great city of yours only to stop at your gallows." She said, a smile curling onto her lips.

Her joke in this serious matter meant more to him than anyone but her would know, and he smiled in return. "At least you'll see me again as they put the noose around your neck, though I'm sure you'll find me even more dull." He replied.

The two of them shared a laugh, one of the few since she woke up and he managed to stop her from tearing out his throat.

* * *

At the back of the fortress, Jarvan the IV, with an entourage of 20 soldiers and two mages, mounted his warhorse as the rest of them prepared to leave, saddling up and securing bags of supplies. He had requested a small escort though this was the smallest he would be able to leave with.

He looked toward the other side of the fort, to where he knew Shyvana, equip and armored with studded leather armor and metal plated gauntlets, would be walking through the gates by now with nearly all of the remaining soldiers.

She would be leading the first assault in months against the encamped Noxian forces, but first she would need to defeat their juggernaut, Sion.

He had faith in her; she was the only one who could stand against it, and, after the previous day, they would know it. What they would do against her... it was hard to tell which of the two he would prefer to fight, if forced to choose.

"My Prince!" Jarvan looked down to see the captain of the fort. "The troops are ready to leave at your command. I have prepared a report for the king; it would reach him sooner if you were the you to give it to him." He said.

None of these troops, soldiers, or mages knew that there was an imposter among the crown, and that it was he who was being impersonated.

Jarvan nodded. "I will, thank you Captain." He said before he turned his horse around to address his company. "We are returning to Demacia! If you so much as see a fox while we are marching, I want it killed and the body burnt to ash!" He commanded.

He was not taking any chances returning to the capital. If the enemies or whoever was behind his kidnapping found out he was alive and heading home, they would begin preparing to recapture him at best, or, at worst, kill him and sell his head to Noxus.

Even if it was a small child picking flowers, he would have to give one of the most difficult orders of his life.

* * *

_10 days later..._

"What happened to you?"

"Lemane failed me; what else could have happened?"

"You mean he is still alive? And did anyone else survive?"

"The _Pawn_ lives, yes, and my _Bishops_ were taken. Petal, Thorn, and Bud will be taking their places within the week."

"Contact Lemane at your earliest convenience. A half-dragon appears to shifting the balance on the front. I want this soldier dead or-"

"He's serving your cause, and my order, better as a corpse. We both have materials that require a black dragon's body."

"He's dead!? By who?"

"Calm yourself. It was the _Pawn _and the half-dragon; seems they make quite the team. It seems his prejudice toward both finally caught up with him."

"... Is your contact in Zaun still in control of himself."

"For the time being, his business is open, though he has made demands for a rare material in exchange for a year's employment."

"Tell him he will be paid triple the normal pay for this-"

"He has also said that he will not become involved in the war until he has this material. Right now, he is losing money for incompetence, and he says he will not unknowingly risk his life, which he believes he would be doing without this material and in the middle of the war, for us."

"What is this material?"

"He requires the body of a celestial being, alive. The only known place for him to get one is in Ionia, and her name is Soraka."

"Ionia... Is your dagger available?"

"He is not. It seems the last mission was too much for him, and he is taking some time off."

"I need your contacts to arrange a meeting with the Terror."

"Oh? Seeking an audience with a devil are we?"

"We have Ionia, but the celestial, Soraka, is not there anymore."

* * *

**_Next Time:_**

_Imposter! Show your true form! _

_I want everyone of them hunted down! Do not let them return to their holes!_

_You're out of your league, little girl..._

_No. You just stepped into MINE!_

* * *

_Also, the conclusion to Jarvan returning to Demacia. I know this isn't a very good chapter, but I've been kinda preoccupied with a lot of happenings._

_After the next chapter, for sure this time, I will be returning to the Ionian plot, and I did not mean for the last chapter to be a 'meanwhile' kinda thing, but a sort of preview for this one and the next._

_Anyway, hope everyone enjoyed, and the next one won't take, 3 weeks was it, to come out._


	6. Chapter 6: The Unknown Evil

_**Author's Note:**_

_I wanted to write about Demacia, but, at the same time, I really wanted to write another part to Ionia because I feel I messed up the timeline for this story. I'll explain in an upcoming chapter, what's happened, who's involved, ect. I apologize for the confusion, which I'm kinda going through as well.  
_

_Anyway, here's an Ionia-Noxus-OC and the mages chapter._

* * *

Oh! This was going to be fun! It was already fun for him, but he knew it would only get better the longer he stayed and he had come a long way.

Even if his business concluded early, he was going to make sure he had his fill from his stay.

So far, he was halfway there...

_A wicked smile spreads across his face as he steps into the spectators' rows and moves to find a place to sit._

_His eyes were more toward the center of the spectacle, where three human women were being brought out by large human men._

Well, hopefully this would be more interesting than the place, a monastery as they were called, with the burning man and his fire-feathered friend, or the one with the pool of, what he could only describe to be, dark blood and the bodies, remains really, of the slaughtered villagers.

It was difficult to tell what killed them, but he knew they were dead and smelled just awful.

_His eerie blue eyes caught the sight of others, the ones with that one male human mage whom he had spoken a few words to, but they were too far away and only just entering. A shame really as all three of them, four counting the one who was not present, were quite interesting to him._

_He wondered what they were really capable of and if he could convince them to aid him in the near future._

Finally, he was able to find a place to sit in the front row, lucky him, and took a seat; leaning forward and watching with an analytical and curious gaze.

This should be quite the entertaining show. So much so, that he might even join in.

* * *

"Do you see him?" Xerath questioned as he scanned the crowd.

Syndra and Veigar, mostly Syndra as Veigar had to climb onto the low wall to be able to see half as well as the others, looked with their mentor for the orange-skinned man that Goau had seen and warned them about.

"I don't think we were paying enough attention to pick him out." Veigar answered, ignoring the main spectate below as the prisoners were brought in and led up onto a platform for the benefit of the spectators.

Syndra was actually as aware as Veigar, but only because she recognized the three prisoners whom she guessed, by the designs of the platform and its accommodations, were going to be executed. No doubt a plan by the Noxians to subjugate the remaining Ionians who were still fighting, fruitlessly but resiliently. "Just look for a man with orange-skin." She said with a cruel smile on her lips.

Xerath, neither interested in what was happening or the whispers about his appearance, scanned the crowd.

* * *

In the center of the area, which once held a stage to honor the guardian dragons of Ionia, tell the tale of the Lunar Revel and re-enact the history of Ionia's past, and retold stories of courage and principles that the Ionian people lived and meditated by, was now a symbol of public fear and submission.

The Noxians wanted to break the will of the Ionians, forcing a number of them to attend this event from the various villages until the place was full, and even then adding more by organizing patrols for the host village. Those who could not see or be present would know the face of the iron grip that held them by the throat.

For those in the arena, as the Noxians had taken to calling it, the prisoners were led to and up the platform by their guards and their stern-faced commander.

The three women, each with a guard at their side, were led with a hand on each arm to a place specially for them while the commander took his place in front of him.

He looked over the crowd that had gathered, soldiers for security, spectators forced to be there, the few who were not from the island yet wished to attend anyway, and, he only just noticed, a black crow that flew in.

Even at this distance, he could see the red glow in its many eyes, and the knowledge that his superior was watching gave him the will, reluctant at first, to carry out his orders for Noxus.

"Citizens of Ionia!" He shouted with his booming voice, but without changing his posture. "From today forward, you are no longer a separate and isolated people! Today, Ionia is a part of Noxus, and will be treated as a vessel country!"

_It was a kind way of saying the island and its people were forcibly annexed as part of Noxus; the land to be plundered and ravaged for loot and resource and its people to be drafted into their war effort against Demacia or enslaved for manual labor._

"Your people and way of life will be preserve!"

_So long as you submit to and follow the Noxian way._

"You will have the protection of our soldiers and our recently established navy!"

_You will serve or be forced to care for our soldiers and citizens in your land._

"And, so long as you no longer resist us and those still resisting are turned in, we will do no further harm to you, your friends and family, and your land!"

_Consider this a warning to what will happen next._

He turned partway to those behind him and gestured with his right arm. "These three are among the rebel leaders who we have been fighting on the behalf of Ionia! To help in the liberation of its old ways and lead it to a new, brighter future as allies of Noxus!"

_Those who resist will be dealt with, and we will start with those who are still a threat._

He fully turned to the guards and the prisoner, and gave a single nod. "Begin." He said simply.

And just like that, the executions began, each group taking a turn until the three prisoners were left to their fates...

* * *

**_Once the last execution was in progress..._**

He stood and hoisted himself up and over the short wall, much to the surprise of those around him and to the alert of the soldiers who did not think someone would so calmly get up and approach the platform.

"Just a moment!" He called out toward those on the platform in a friendly and causal manner.

The commander turned to the man approaching, staring down at him with a warning glare. "Return to your seat, citizen!" He said in a stern voice.

The man continued to approach, only now he was raising an eyebrow and smiling a sharp-toothed smile. "By the way you spoke, your... Noxus, was it? Isn't interested in the people of this land, but the land itself. Perhaps we could make a deal?" He asked.

The commander looked to his sides before looking back at the man, and then raised his right hand. Archers, wielding heavy crossbows, took positions and readied their weapons, pointing at the man, around the arena.

The took three more steps, and the commander lowered his arms, signalling the archers to attack.

The bolts, each weighing two pounds, thud into the man, who takes the shots with only two steps lost; two hitting him in the head, one in the neck, and last four in his torso.

But the man did not stop in his stride.

Instead, he walks to the stairs of the platform, much to the dismay and surprise of the guards as their commander takes hold of the battleaxe one of the guards held at his belt and prepares to meet the man at the top.

The man, seeming unaffected by the large bolts, removes the second bolt from his head and tosses it off the platform. "Now, can we discuss this like, what's the word, civilized individuals?"

The commander's answer was a swift diagonal strike to the man's neck and shoulder... and the weapon was immediately caught just beneath the skin, as though it were striking a stone.

Instead of red, there was a small amount of black blood that leaked out of the opening in his skin and onto his clothing and the blade of the axe.

The man's smile turns wicked, his teeth grow sharper, pupils form in his glowing blue eyes, and his skin begins to move. "Or I can do as your people do, and take what I want through blood, violence, and the disposal of bodies." He added causally.

* * *

There was only one among the spectators were wasn't staring wide-eyed, and that was only because he was physically unable to.

The man, the orange-skinned man they had followed in, was nothing from this world.

The commander of the Noxian forces released his weapon and backed away as the guards jumped off the platform and began to flee from the man who was now changing into a monster right in the center of the arena.

Tendril-like arms ripped out and grew from his back, his skin ripped and fell off like paper, he began to grow in size from near to six feet to eight feet in size, and his limbs grew in girth and size as his skin was replaced with a layer of insect-like carapace. His eyes turned into narrowed slits and glowed with a bright blue without pupils, yet it was obvious to all those present who his attention was on when he spoke to or looked at someone.

The monster lashed out with his two tendrils, slashing the smallest of the three women free from the noose she was choking from and causing her to fall to the wood of the platform, leaving her to a fit of coughing and breathing heavily as she tried to catch her breath, and pulling the swords out of the wrists and ankles of the second woman.

With one of his claws, he reached over and snipped the ropes that bound the third woman's hands above her head, who immediately brought her hands to the opened wound at her chest, and, with his other claw, he caught the commander by his right arm and brought him closer. "Ah, I know what it is! I did not introduce myself, did I?" He asked with an echoing voice and a sickeningly and malicious tone to the uneasy, maybe even, for the first time in his military career, fear.

"I am Cho'Gath, one of the Voidborn and patriarch of my brood. How do you do, Commander Darius of the Noxian army?" He introduced and asked with a tilt of his monstrous head; forming a smile that would make even a demon falter.

Cho'Gath then released the commander's arm and watched with restrained glee as the human backed away on his hands and nearly backed off the platform. "I take it you are interested in my terms?" He asks.

The man, Darius could only stare in sheer terror. To him, it was like his entire world had been torn apart and he had been thrown into hell. He had been in battles and fought on fields that would leave other men mentally broken to the point of being unable to function among others, but this... it was like a nightmare had come into the real world.

"If I may, Lord Cho'Gath."

A voice, human female as he knew it to be, brought his attention from the commander and toward the third woman. This one had darker skin than the other two, but she also had a green tattoo around her right arm and left leg.

Unlike the man, the worst she did was stop breathing for a few seconds when he turned his eyes on her, and then she began breathing again. He could tell she was frightened, but there was... something else there that fought against that fear.

"What is it you want from here?" She asks. Her voice was weak, most likely from the wound in her chest and the blood loss, or perhaps her drying organs.

The Voidborn moved his head closer to her face, gazing into her eyes, into her soul, as though looking for... something.

There was a moment of silence, and then he retracted his head from her face. "Who leads your people... Duchess?" He asks with unblinking eyes.

"The Ionian people are led by a council of elders." She explains as struggles to, and succeeds to, breathe normally.

The Voidborn turns his head away from the duchess and looks toward the second woman, who had been helping the first one remove the noose from her neck and was holding one of the swords, or rather one of the pieces of the sword, she had been impaled on.

He was not intimidated by the act, and instead turned back to the duchess; his head turning slowly as he did. "Are you led by a matriarch or a patriarch?" He asks with a more warning tone.

She did not take her eyes from his. "I am the matriarch." She says. "Irelia, the one with the sword, is my second." She adds quickly.

He tilts his head at her, from the left then to the right before straight at her again, and takes first one whiff, and then a second of her, the second one being much stronger and lifting her hair. "Your territory has been lost, matriarch. In exchange for your being one of my concubines and your-" He looks around before continuing. "Ionian brood joining mine, you and yours will have a place in my territory." He finishes with a large grin.

She closed her eyes and took a deep, labored breath. She had to get help for her wound, but, first, she had to negotiate for her people's sake.

When she opened her eyes, they went wide at what she saw for the moment before she blinked, and then everything returned to normal. Cho'Gath was in front of her, watching and waiting for her response. The Noxian commander, Darius, was now climbing off the platform, going toward the soldiers. Akali and Irelia, the two of them appearing to be alright now, were still on their knees but in more of a combat ready stance.

She swallowed past the lump in her throat, and then let out the breath she had taken in. "Would we be... safe?" She asked.

He moved his head slowly back into a straight position and, once more, he seemed to stare into her soul, searching through her very experiences and past for answers to questions he chose not to ask.

It was an odd feeling, one more frightening than any she had imaged in her life, and yet she did not look away from his eyes.

She was a leader to her people first, and that meant she had to secure their safety, which she had assumed and accepted was lost until now. She knew the Noxians would not let them be as their commander had promised... but was it better to be taken by a nightmare from another world?

Was the demon she and her people did not know better than the one they had fought against for years?

"I have a task for your kind." Cho'Gath informed, finally rising and straightening his body. "Succeed in it, and you and your brood will live among mine." He finished with a low hiss-like exhale.

* * *

"So, you managed to get most of your people where I told you about?" Goau asked.

Yasuo nodded his head. "I did, yes, but how much longer until we can leave?" He asked.

The two of them were back outside of the village, only this time they were near the front of the entrance, just out of sight from those looking out from inside. It was a better meeting place than the outside of the village, and, with the orange-skinned man's recent entry and the event going on, it was out of sight of guards and soldiers.

"Soon, I hope..." Goau replied with a sigh and put his head in his hand. "The lady of my group, Syndra, won't be happy at all." He added.

The samurai blinked at him. "Syndra? I thought I recognized that ziggurat." He replied.

Goau looked up at him and smiled. "Oh good, you know what to expect from her then. That'll make things a little easier if you and others stay out of her sight." He said jokingly.

"You know she killed her previous master in cold blood and swore to kill every Elder of Ionia with her bare hands?" Yauso replied with a stern and serious tone that matched his expression.

"Her or Noxus; and she can't kill and control that ziggurat at the same time." Goau replied as he patted the man's shoulder. "Besides, if you're all hiding, or at least in one of the empty rooms, she'll never even notice-"

"We're leaving. Now!" Syndra, who seemed to appear behind him and slapped him on the back, said as she quickly drifted past him, followed quickly by Veigar and, taking up the rear, Xerath.

Xerath stopped next to the two. He looked first at Goau then to Yasuo and finally back to Goau. "Say goodbye to your friend, Goau, and your other friend is not a human." He informed before moving again, though at a slower pace than the other two.

Goau and Yasuo watched the three for a moment, and then looked back to one another.

Yasuo was the one to speak first. "Your other friend?" He asked.

Goau let out another sigh. "The guard-killer. Anyway, we should probably get out of here." He said, and then began taking off after the rest of them. "Hey guys! I told you we should have left earlier!" He called out to his three companions.

Despite the distance, Goau was able to see that Syndra was angered by his comment, and that made him smile.

It wasn't often he got to prove his point to Syndra, but, when he did, he was more than willing to accept the consequences.

Take your victories where you can get them; defeat was always an option.

* * *

"Listen well mortals!" Cho'Gath bellowed as he turned around and roared to ensure he had the attention of all present, and to announcement himself to those near the area. "The Ionians are mine! For every drop of their blood on a Noxian arm, I will march to Noxus and kill ten mortals there! Each Ionian, male, female, old, young, sick, healthy, will be taken from these islands! Let the objectors speak now!

"I do not want to find you later..."

Veigar's head turned to Syndra, and he had to pull at her wrist to make sure she was paying attention to him. "Time to go?" He asked.

Dumbly, and with surprised eyes, she nodded.

"Let's go then." He added.

"I wonder what a Voidborn wants with an entire people." Xerath 'mumbled' to himself as he followed the two out.

Neither replied to him, but, once they were out of the arena, Syndra broke into a run before she began to float with her magic. She was very eager to leave.

Cho'Gath, on the other hand, was watching something else as Karma, the matriarch of the Ionian brood to his understanding, was seen to by a strange looking Ionian woman. The other two, Akali and Irelia, remained close to Karma as she was healed, but Akali held her ground on shaky legs.

He growled low as he stared at a distant speck on the top of the wall, watching it intently as Darius began yelling futile orders to his soldiers. It was useless, as he should have found out after killing the first two.

It was rare to find a mortal brave enough to be able to speak in his presence, but what surprised him was that the three women, who all had seemed to him to accept their ends, were still brave enough to at least appear to oppose him.

Suddenly, the black speck rose, and he sent one of his back tendrils into the ground, piercing through the hard ground and out in the distant.

When the tendril came back, slowing down as it drew nearer, a crow-like bird was attached to the end of it. It wasn't that he had picked it off so quickly, but that the bird was still alive and moving as though it weren't impaled.

He brought the bird close to his face, staring into its many red eyes with a wicked grin on his monstrous face. "What have we here? An eye of the puppeteer sent to watch its little ones dance? How amusing." He said with a dark chuckle. "I hope you enjoyed the show... I know I did, but you would be wise to let me go with what I've claimed..."

The bird it out a cry, much like a crow's, and then suddenly vanished in a dark mist that drifted off his tendril; leaving behind not even a drop of blood.

Cho'Gath then quickly looked up, his eyes meeting those of the Noxian commander. "Matriarch." He said, addressing Karma, who was only now getting to her feet with the help of the healer. "To assure all of your brood are gathered, I will be accompanying you as you gather them... All of them." He said, stressing the last three words.

* * *

_Well, that was kinda fun._

_Next chapter, probably within the next two or three days, will contain the time-line thus far.  
_


	7. Chapter 7: Timeline One

_**Author's Note:**_

_This is the promised timeline I am going with for the time being. More will be added, new 'chapters' of it will be posted, and I may change some things in it. I will, however, explain some things.  
_

_With Sion, Noxus can divert some of their forces toward other lands to conquer. Ionia was the choice since it is isolated, the people known for being soft, and closer to Noxus than Demacia; take the islands, take the resources and loot there, as well as any secrets._

_Alliances are almost nonexistant, but there are some individuals of note who side with the two main sides, Demacia and Noxus._

_The Institute of War does not exist in this story, and so much of the lore is different. Demacia and Noxus never became part of it, so their war continued, and Ionia could not appeal for aid or receive any from Demacia due to them still being at war and losing ground slowly._

_Any other questions I will answer if they are PM'd to me or as a review. Thank you all for reading, favoring, reviewing, commenting, following, and I hope I am making up for my periods of long absence._

* * *

Timeline

* * *

Demacia and Noxus are at war. Ionia, Bandle City, and Shurima remain neutral. Piltover continues its rivalry with Zaun, but the conflict is on friendly terms and the city prioritizes its own progression. Zaun and Bilgewater are also neutral, but tilted more toward being allies of Noxus due to past and current agreements. The Freljord is mostly a mystery to the other major powers of Runeterra.

A mysterious and powerful mage requests and obtains a writ authorizing passage through Noxian controlled territories from Grand General Boram Darkwill.

* * *

Prince Jarvan IV of Demacia is captured by Noxian forces and is to be executed by the roaming executioner Urgot as soon as the two companies meet. Garen and his Dauntless Vanguard intercept the two parties, defeating Jarvan's captors before Urgot's company; saving the prince and killing the executioner.

In Zaun, a new figure is revealed in the whispers of those from Zaun and Noxus; Dr. Mundo's clinic opens for business. Another figure emerges, only this one is in Noxus; Morgana takes up residence in the city.

The chemist Singed puts out an ad for willing test subjects for his experiments; Warwick, infamous percourer of the unwilling, answers the ad. A business contract is written out and signed by both parties.

In Piltover: A genius yordle experiments on himself and gains tremendous intelegence. Sheriff Caitlyn takes a former criminal, now deputy, under her custody, placing her on probation to decide where this criminal will serve her crimes. A human scientist's request for aid against a rival Zaunite is turned down due to insignificant proof of theft and robbery.

In Bilgewater: A noble of Noxus requests the aid of pirates to attack Demacian ships. An unknown figure in an old, bulky diving suit emerges from the sea and begins wandering the peir. Sighting of a mermaid are the talk of the taverns.

* * *

In Demacia: Prince Jarvan is rarely seen and in a state of depression; finally deciding to go out on his own with a handful of handpicked soldiers. Garen Crownguard tries to reason with the prince, but fails to persuade the fallen prince from going on this mission.

Luxana Crownguard arrives home for the first time in two years to see her friends and family again as her transfer into the Demacian Academy of Magic is underway.

The head of House Laurent disgraces himself and his house by being caught cheating in a duel. The youngest member of the house, a daughter named Fiora, challenges and takes control of House Laurent.

A young woman with a large Demacian eagle joins the military as a scout.

In Noxus: Urgot's body is retrieved by a Noxian patrol and taken back to Noxus. Zaunite scientist Stanwick Pididly is called in to aid in the necromatic process of bringing him back to life. The cooperative team is successful and Urgot is revived as a mix of man and techmaturgy.

Noxian High Command send a proposal to Warwick, offering a bounty for every Demacian scout he brings in to them. In response, Warwick requests a potion to be made by Singed, and Grand General Darkwill assigns a squad to aid him.

Two figures emerge into Noxian fame; Darius, who led Noxian forces through overwhelming odds to finish a siege, and Draven, who has single-handily brought the entire moral of the city itself up by helping to empty the positions of those on death's row.

In Zaun: A yordle attacks a Zaunite compound with a series of explosive devices while another attack is done at a well-known techmaturgy laboratory. Authorities are split and both attacks are stopped, but the response is too weak and slow; Viktor's laboratory is raided with 60% of the compound destroyed, and those who were being held in the other compound where freed. Suspicions and investigations point to Piltover citizens are the responsible party.

In Piltover: A scientist is placed under protective custody for assaulting a Zaunite research facility. A yordle is released from custody after two hours by the Yordle Academy of Piltover and given the title Dean of Demolitions by the esteemed Heimerdinger.

In Bandle City: The Omega Squad is disbanded and the Scouts of the Mothership is formed to replace them, led by surviving member Teemo. The Megling Commandos, led by recently promoted Tristana, agree to work in coordination with the Scouts to ensure the protection of Bandle City from Noxian and Zaunite aggressive in response to recent attacks from Piltover on Zaun.

In the Frejlord: Reports of trolls gathering have been noted but mostly ignored; patrols are to watch for threats from them.

* * *

_Secret Writs:_

Prince Jarvan is found by Warwick, who informs a patrol of Noxian soldiers. Prince Jarvan is taken prisoner shortly after. LeBlanc, matron of the Black Rose, convinces Swain to keep the prince's capture a secret. The general agrees and the prince is spirited away into the Black Rose's custody; unbeknownst to Demacia and the majority of Noxus.

Jarvan IV is watched by a black dragon working with the Black Rose. He is soon unintentionally rescused by a vengeful half-dragon; the two kill the black dragon.

* * *

In Demacia: Prince Jarvan IV returns and immediately begins to take over command of Demacia forces, leading the forces to many small victories against Noxian forces.

On the battlefield: Noxus deploys Sion, an undead soldier from the past, onto the battlefield. With the juggernaut's strength, key Demacian strongholds and forts begin to fall under Noxian control.

In Ionia: Noxians begin to visit the islands in large numbers. Over the weeks that follow, the Ionian-Noxian Conflict begins with the immediate conquering of the southern islands before their advance is halted by Ionian forces.

In other parts of Runeterra: Noxian lumber advances into the Kumungu Jungle fail due to unknown attacks. The area is deemed too dangerous to continue and all focus is shifted toward the Ionian islands.

A Shurima emperor of the past is revived and begins to rebuild his empire after a Noxian noble, accompanied by a band of mercenaries, entered a tomb. The noble and mercenary leader where the only survivors, though the noble, Cassiopeia Du Couteau, has not been seen outside of her family's home since returning with a powerful mage composed of magic. The mage receives a formal treaty stating he is an ally to Noxus signed by the son of the former Grand General.

* * *

In Ionia: After almost a year of uneasy peace, the conflict against Noxus flares again, but with Zaunite reinforcements bombarding Ionian forces before the Noxian soldiers attack.

During the peace, a number of Ionians leave their island homes: A mute is adopted by a noble from Demacia, an Ionian sorceress of great potential kills her master, uproots the temple she was trained in, and leaves, a monk returns to Ionia with a stranger more beast than man from the Frejlord, and the Kinkou ninja order falls to the new Order of the Shadow.

* * *

_Recent Writs:_

Prince Jarvan IV leaves his traveling companion, a half-dragon named Shyvana, to counter the Noxian siege weapon, Sion.

Noxus has completely gained control of Ionia, but, during the declaration of that victory, the Voidborn Cho'Gath appeared and demanded the whole of Ionia's citizen's, to which Duchess Karma, an Elder of Ionia and one of the leaders of the resistance, agreed to it as the matriarch of Ionia and becoming a concubine of Cho'Gath.

Jarvan is now making his way to Demacia to announce his return and outs the imposter who has taken his identity.


	8. Chapter 8: The True Prince

**_Author's Note:  
_**

_Personally, I think Demacia is boring in the lore, which is why it's hard for me to write about it. So, to help me through this chapter, here is a 3 part one featuring Demacia, Noxus, and Ionia, all of which are happening... around the same time. Maybe a day or two between them, but, in short, these are close to each other.  
_

_As always, I hope everyone enjoys._

_Also, HOLY SHITE! Over 6,000 words._

* * *

_Demacia:_

"Have any of you spoken with Garen before?" Jarvan asked those of his men who remained.

The journey to Demacia had been longer than he would have liked, but it was all needed to get back without anyone knowing of them. He had to make difficult decisions, give difficult orders, but he knew that they had to be given and done without hesitation or everything could fail.

He had to get back without anyone knowing. Every bystander they saw could be an enemy scout observing them, and not one of them could be allowed to get out of their sight.

Now, looking over the four men he had left, they all knew their goal was close at hand. All that needed to be done was to make contact with one of the few people he could hopefully still trust within the city to believe he was not the fake.

One of the soldiers gave him a sober nod.

"Here is the report. Report to Captain Garen." He said. Even without saying anything, there was another, unspoken order he did not say.

The soldier nodded, and then began to enter the city, running with a recognizable urgency in his rush.

The prince then turned to the remaining soldiers after the messenger left. "You three are relieved. Return to your families here, and tell them only that you were sent from the frontlines due to injuries." He ordered and waited for them all to nod in confirmation before leaving.

When they left, Jarvan began to make his way to the meeting ground his message spoke of.

He could only pray that it was Garen who received his message and not one of the spies within the crown.

* * *

_Noxus:_

Grand Command was in an array of chaos as reports from the battlefields came in from a number of sources, areas, scouts, spies, and, most importantly, the front.

And, throughout all of the chaos, one man stood calm and collected as he gave orders to the scouts and messengers.

Jericho Swain, one of the possible candidates for the title of Grand General of Noxus, attended to the masses as though he had practiced it. He told his subordinates what orders to write down and which runners to give them to, answered the concerns of his peers with stern and emotionless conviction, but his rival, Keiran Darkwill, son of the late and former Grand General Boram Darkwill, was not present.

Rather than attempting to battle the political aspect of rule, Keiran was on the field, not with the main forces of Noxus, but with his own army.

The divine between Noxus was obvious as the two fought for the city's throne, but the favor leaned more toward Swain, who acted as though he already held it, but that was believed to be because of his ties with the secret organization that was said to run Noxus behind the shadows for centuries.

Keiran's belief was that Noxus should be strong and show it through the unyielding and unstoppable might of the Noxian army. He had attempted to spread control toward the south, but his vote was denied when loggers went missing in the Kumungu jungle.

Were it not for Swain's shift from military leader to political one, the assault on Ionia would never have been possible. A good will gift from Swain to Keiran in the form of his second, Commander Darius, for the conflict was, to Keiran, an insult he intended to prove wrong.

For Swain, and his secret supporters, it was a chance for him to focus on the priorities rather than the small gains. He got rid of his rival, an annoyance he would permanently see dealt with sooner rather than later, and was able to deploy his secret weapon against Demacia.

Darkwill had no idea that his father's greatest political and military weapon had been revived again and was fighting against the Demacian army, to great effect, but he would only have brought Noxus to a staggering halt.

The latest reports from the front, however, were just as bad.

There was one, a half-dragon, who had joined the Demacian army and was fighting against Sion, primarily.

The half-dragon could recover much faster than the undead, who required time to be mended and infused with magic once he had taken too much damage.

Something had to be done...

* * *

_Ionia:_

"Why exactly is this man on fire?" Cho'Gath asked as he gestured toward the monk who was alight with fire yet did not appear bothered by it.

Karma, accompanied by a number of Ionians who had been liberated from Noxian captivity, looked at the display with a saddened expression. "It is in opposed to the Noxian oppression, a signal that our wills burn hotter than fire." She explained.

Cho'Gath turned his head, observing a fountain nearby, and, with a claw, lifted him from the ground and started toward it, much to the dismay of the Ionians who were still at the monastery. "Is this something I will have to deal with? Your brood trying to kill themselves?" He asked angrily.

The monk's body, for the most part, appeared limp save for some minor movements of life rather than consciousness.

Karma only watched as the monk was throw into the water, the flames on his body doused, and the others looking more disheartened than when Noxus was the threat.

The Noxians had left him alone, through fear of some supernatural powers at work or from the people of the monastery attacking them again, but the Voidborn was unconcerned with any of their fears.

When the monk's friend, and one who had set him alight, approached and, vainly, attempted to stop the Voidborn, who swatted him several feet away with his other claw.

"Soraka." Karma said, turning her head toward the celestial. "Will you see to Master Sin's injuries, and then Udyr's?" She asked.

The tall, blue-skinned woman gave only a single nod, her mouth covered with her hands, and turned back to watch Cho'Gath fully turn his attention to Udyr, a Freljordian guest and formerly wild man.

The Freljordian had been more beast than man when he first arrived, but, slowly and surely, he gained control of the animal spirits that dwelt within his body. He knew his homeland was calling to him, that he was needed there, but, to repay the debt to his new friend and those of his second home, he had volunteered to fight against Noxus and fight he did.

As Cho'Gath stepped away from Lee's body, Soraka cautiously walked and began his trade, startled and heartbroken to see the monk's body so damaged and the knowledge that it was all self inflicted.

If he was lucky, he would have only paid with his sight. If not, she was sure he would never fight again.

"You sold us from a group of monsters to one, _Honored_ Elder." A dark toned voice said from behind her.

She did not need to turn her head to answer the shadow ninja. "I know." She answered. "But at least we will live."

For whatever reason, Cho'Gath had wanted to go here first, no doubt to ask why someone had set himself on fire and why no one was doing anything about it.

Zed, the master of the Order of the Shadow ninjas, was here because his scouts had informed him of what was happening, the Noxian forces retreating to the southern islands and the Ionians packing their things. For now, he knew nothing of what was really happening, but he intended to find out.

* * *

_Demacia:_

_A risen king-slayer fighting a half-dragon, a plot against the crown from within, Demacia's army being played by a behind the scenes mastermind, and, to top everything off, he was being called outside of the palace to fetch a report from a lazy scout._

Garen, exhausted from returning to Demacia from the field with his Dauntless Vanguard, muttered angry curses under his breath as he approached the alleyway the scout was reported living. He half expected a group of thugs to try to rob him, but, in his heavy plate armor, he wouldn't be surprised if someone was already trying.

He stopped, put his head in his hand, and shook his head.

_No. He shouldn't be thinking that way. Demacia was not a city to harbor or allow such behavior, or, if it was a practice in the city, it was one done in other ways. Bad quality items, overpriced merchandise, and fake items were rare but they did exist in Demacia. Those were acceptable, but wrong._

He took a deep breath, and turned his thoughts to better ones.

_His sister had been transferred into the city. Demacian forces were retaking territory they had lost to the Noxian war juggernaut. His friend, Jarvan VI had taken over military control from his father, allowing him to rest. Xin Zhoa had recovered from the poison attempt on his life._

But... not everything was good.

The past event of him having to turn down that Ionian's plead for aid still weighed heavily on his mind. He had thought, hoped, that the prince would find the forces to spare, but their forces were spread thin as they were. Any weak points would be quickly found and exploited by Noxian forces.

It was a crushing blow to his own moral, but he knew the prince was only doing what was best for Demacia. It was better to fight on one front rather than give forces to an inexperienced nation that had never been in war.

Garen let out a breath, and then began walking again, only paying half attention to where he was going.

Instead of continuing to the house, he turned into the alleyway and slouched down against the wall, doing his best to be behind a pile of debris.

He had to collect himself before facing this scout, knowing he would need to be tough with the man before he could ask for the report. He had to know what he was doing, what he was fighting for, was the right thing.

To him, it felt like... it felt like...

"Hard times friend?" A man's voice says from beside him.

Garen put his head in his gloved hands and shook his head. "War is always hard." He replies. "What time it's in doesn't matter."

He heard the man move closer and sit down next to him, and then take a drink of something before continuing. "It seems like times have been hard for me for... two months now?" He asked.

"I suppose it's been harder for you lately then." Garen replies.

_One month ago... that was about the time Prince Jarvan returned from his self-seeking journey with what remained of his men. That was also about the time everything started._

He felt something tapping on his right shoulder, glass on plate, and reached over with his left hand. He removed his right hand from his head and took a few gulps from the bottle.

The bottle separated from his lips with a light popping sound, and then he let out a sigh before licking his lips. "Thank you. I needed that." He said and tried to hand it back.

The man next to him, instead of taking it, tapped his own bottle against Garen's. "I need your help Garen, but I need to trust you." The man said.

Garen glanced toward the man as he spoke, and a hand on his shoulder, stronger than he first thought, kept him from moving too much.

"Stay quiet." The man said. "Please... as my friend." He whispered.

The captain remained surprise, but relaxed. "Who are you?"

The man took a swig of his bottle before answering. "A man with a lifetime of mistakes, the lives of good men and women in his hands and the bloodstains of their loved ones on them, and a life that shouldn't still be. I want to atone, to honor the fallen and service those still fighting, and... I owe it to another friend whose stronger and braver than I." He took another swig after saying that, and then sat his empty bottle down.

Garen looked away from the man and to his bottle. "If you don't mind, who's this friend of yours?" He asked.

"She's got the heart of a dragon and the strength to match, but... I promised her a place she could finally call home. Considering she's already fighting for it, I won't rest until this is city is restored to what it was before." The man said.

Garen smiled, really smiled for the first time in a month to anyone other than his family. "I should be getting back to the palace. I've been meaning to have a private meeting with the prince for some time now."

* * *

_Some time later..._

"What is he thinking!?" The prince muttered angrily to himself as he stormed through the palace halls.

He had an army to command, a kingdom to inherit, and a nation to contend with before it overwhelmed and swallowed up the whole of Valoran, and he was being asked away from the command table to give a private audience to one of his subordinates who should be on the field going to deal with the Sion problem.

If this wasn't about a secret coup or valuable information from a scout's report...

He grabbed the knob of the door and shouldered it open, and then looked around the room with a glare on his face until, finally, he saw the source of his ire.

Garen was sitting at the end of a short table, a number of field reports on the table with one in his hand and the other on the table as though he were tapping his fingers in thought, and he looked up when the prince entered.

Immediately, he rose and saluted with a fist to his heart and a small bow of respect. "My prince! I apologize for calling you here so suddenly, but I have important news." He said quickly.

The prince's stern expression softened a little, turning more to a surprised one but maintaining an angry outlook. He was busy, but at least this wouldn't be a complete waste of his time. "At ease Captain. Give me the report." He ordered.

Garen relaxed his stance and picked up the report he had been reading before, holding it out to show that what he found was on that paper. "There are Noxian spies within the palace." He said, getting straight to the point.

The prince's eyebrow went up. "I want them found, and fast." He said, and then held out his hand; requesting the report.

Without a word, Garen presented it to the prince, who accepted it and began silently reading through it.

_Noxian scout intercepted leaving Demacia with a report containing troop movements and targets._

_Report bore the royal seal, suspect an adviser or high-ranking citizen has been replaced._

_Recommend immediate checks on all within the palace._

The prince looked back toward Garen and nodded. "Do you have any leads as to who these imposters are?" He asked. "Are any of the noble houses involved?"

Garen placed his hands behind his back before speaking. "I do have my own theories, my prince, and I have already informed the spymaster. I expect at least five found and exposed before the day's end." He replied with pride and respect.

The prince nodded again. "Good work, and good hunting. The thought of even one Noxian bastard in Demacia makes me sick, but for them to be inside the palace itself... I need to leave. I have to make sure my father is safe." He says before he begins to leave.

As he does, Garen smiles. "As you command... my prince."

In a quick but unpracticed motion, he drew a shortsword from behind, taken from the armory before coming to the room, and threw it at the door, causing the prince to step back in surprise and turn a startled look at the captain.

"Wh- what is the meaning of this!?" The prince demanded.

With his other hand, Garen drew his greatsword from the sheath on his back. "Just following orders." He said, still maintaining the smile on his face. "You have the option of coming quietly, or being taken into custody by force?" He offered.

The prince's glare returned, and he turned to fully face Garen. "This is treason!" He declared, and, without looking, pulled the sword from the door. "GUARDS! GUARDS!" He called out.

Garen's smile fell and his expression turned to one of seriousness as he began marching toward the prince and brandishing his greatsword.

The prince, with urgency, shouldered the door open again and began to flee down the hall, with Garen now charging after him. All the while, the prince continued to call for the guards, who leave their posts to respond and begin to gather at the intersections.

When the prince sees a number of the guards, he pushes past them, putting them between him and the traitorous captain, and points toward him. "Stop the traitor! Stop the double agent!" He ordered with a frantic and panic tone.

* * *

_How did he know? I never sent a spy out... did one of the other believe we were suspected?_

_No. Not without my order._

_Then how?_

* * *

The guards, confused and bewildered by what they were hearing, immediately took their positions, forming a wall of steel and blades.

As he approached, Garen moved his sword so that it was like a shield and continued to charge. With his sword perpendicular to the ground, his charge was slowed but not stopped as he barreled through the hastily constructed formation, his eyes locked on the prince.

The prince continued to retreat, continuing to call for more guards and announcing Garen to be a traitor, the battle cry of the Dauntless Vanguard captain drowning out that of the prince's shouts.

More and more guards were alerted and, soon, most of the palace was up in arms.

"My lord!"

The prince looked ahead to see a guard gesturing for him to turn a corner.

"This way!"

He made the turn and was greeted by a line of soldiers with tower shields and pikes, all of whom were walking into position past the guard and prince to block the hall, locking their shields down and readying their pikes.

The prince, out of breath from the ten minutes of running and shouting, let the guard lead him into the audience hall, which was cleared of those who would normally be there to make requests of the royal family.

"Thank you, soldier." The prince said in between breaths. "I will be fine once I catch my breath. You should go out there and help the others deal with the traitor, Garen." He added.

"I will, but first there is something you must do." The guard said.

"What?" The prince let out, a mix of annoyance and anger considering what was happening. "What is it now- ARG!"

The prince shouted when he saw the guard turn on him with the pike he held, only grazing him but the intent had been to gravely injure.

The guard reached up with his left hand and threw his helmet off, revealing blue eyes, brown hair, and a stern, hardened face that was all too familiar.

"Blood for blood, Noxian witch!"

It was like looking into a mirror; the prince of Demacia was staring, wide-eyed, at another prince of Demacia.

* * *

When he came to the wall of tower shields and pikes, Garen put his greatsword down and kicked it toward the soldiers; his smile returning.

"I give up." He said as he held his hands up. "I'll go peacefully."

The soldiers and guards, understandably, kept their weapons pointed at the captain and their shields up, except for one who, without taking his eyes from Garen, took his greatsword and dragged it away.

"What is going on here?" A voice from the crowd said. "Is there an assassin? Where is the prince!?"

Garen recognized the voice and turned his head to see Xin Zhao, a friend who was saved from Noxus's pit fight known as the Fleshing by the current King Jarvan, pushing his way through to see what was happening.

He stopped at the sight of Garen, his hands up and surrounded by weapons and shields, as one guard informed him of what was happening. "Captain Garen? You attacked the prince?" He asked, astonished and surprised.

Garen nodded grimly. "The prince is in danger Xin Zhao. He is-" He was silenced when the rows of pikes moved closer.

Xin Zhao glared at the guards and signaled for them to lower their weapons. They did so, but they only backed up and away from the two. He then looked back to Garen. "What are you talking about? You chased the prince through the palace, charging through lines of guards, and you're saying the prince is still in danger?" He asked. "I know he has been different since his return, but that does not warren his assassination-"

Garen cut him off. "He is in the audience hall!" He began. "Please; you served King Jarvan II and saved his life, you now serve his son, King Jarvan III. I'm begging you; save Prince Jarvan IV."

* * *

As Garen was taken away in shackles to the dungeons, Xin Zhao started toward the audience hall.

"Seneschal Zhao!" One of the guards said, but did not get the warrior's attention. "Where are you going?"

Xin did not reply.

Something was going on, he knew. Garen would not have acted this way without reason; there had to be something else at work. He was the captain of the Dauntless Vanguard. Aside from himself, no one but Garen was more loyal to the crown, so why would he attack the prince, in broad daylight and in the palace, and shouting like he was on the battlefield.

Xin stopped at the door to the audience hall, his hands on the door, and he turned to the guard. "I want the palace closed down." He turned to the guard. "Even if King Jarvan orders it, I do not want anyone getting in or out, espically from this room, without my say." He said.

"Seneschal, the prince is-"

"No. One." Xin said.

He stared at the guard until, finally, he watched the man begin to do as he commanded.

When he could no longer see the guard, Xin opened the door.

Inside, he saw the prince fighting against a guard with a pike using magic.

Prince Jarvan the Fourth, renowned for his mastery with the pike and lance, was using ethereal chains and teleporting short distances.

The guard, on the other hand, used a style of fighting that he recognized as that taught by the royal family's private tutors, as well as a variation of Xin Zhao's own spear-fighting techniques.

"What is going on here!?" Xin shouted as he drew his spear and charged toward the two, putting himself in between them.

The guard stopped mid attack when he heard Xin's voice and turned his head to look at him.

It was Jarvan IV's face!

"Prince Jarvan!" Xin said, shocked to see who the guard was and stunned by the sudden realization of what had been going on all this time.

"Such a shame." The prince said, his voice suddenly that of an older woman.

The guard, Jarvan, turned his head to the prince, his eyes going wide, and ran forward to knock Xin Zhao out of the way with his shoulder.

As Xin was knocked to the ground, Jarvan was hit by an ethereal chain and forced to the ground; bound by the magical golden chains.

Xin quickly forced himself onto his feet, a determined look on his face, and charged toward the prince, yelling a cry of battle filled with rage.

The prince vanished from his view, and Xin immediately spun around, using his spear as a reach weapon. He felt some resistance, and then saw blood on the floor as the prince backed away with his right wrist and hand bleeding.

* * *

"Brother!"

Garen smiled as his sister ran toward him and his guards, but the guards did not let her get near him.

"What's going on? Why are you in chains? And why are people saying you tried to kill Jarvan?" She asked.

He did not speak, but the guards did. "Captain Garen is being taken to the dungeon to await trail for attempted assassination. Do not get involved, Lady Crownguard, or you and the rest of your family will be taken into custody as well." The guard said.

Lux gasped, tears forming in her eyes. "No... that can't be. He's the captain of the Dauntless Vanguard! He risked his life to save Jarvan from Noxus. They're friends." She said, and then looked to her brother. "It's not true. It can't be... please tell me it's not true!" She pleaded...

but Garen did not reply; only looked at her with that easy smile on his face.

The guards then began marching again, leaving the dumbstruck Lux to question what was going on, why he brother would do such a thing to one of their childhood friends, and...

Lux turned and started running.

Jarvan! She had to know what was going on. She had to talk to him, to find out if her brother would really try to kill him.

She knew her brother, she knew how much he loved Demacia and that he would do anything to protect it!

* * *

"How you managed to get out of that hole... I do not care enough to know." The prince said with a cocky tone, his voice that of an older woman but still with a youth charm to it.

Jarvan glared up at the imposter, his body wrapped and bound in the ethereal chains, and tried to wrestle out of them.

"I had hoped you would stay there, alive and harmless." The prince said with a smile. "I guess now Noxus will have two king-slayers, but I'll also be a prince-slayer." He added.

He then glanced toward Xin Zhao, making sure he was still knocked out and bound.

"I was really hoping to watch your fight, Seneschal. To see how many you killed before they killed you." The prince said with a sadistic tone and smirk. "Actually, maybe you'll last long enough against Sion to put on a good show."

"Don't you dare!" Jarvan said, drawing the prince's attention from his family's friend, but that cocky smirk remained. "Kill me and be done with it, but don't you dare take him back!" He said through gritted teeth.

The prince laughed, placing a hand over his mouth. "Giving me orders, really?" He asked and crossed his arms over his chest. "When was the last time you were in any position to give orders to anyone?" He shook his head. "But I will kill you, your father, and then be done with Demacia and leave with the Seneschal. After all, he did make him bleed; it's only fair I do the same.

"_Blood for blood_, as you yourself said."

The prince turned around and went to pick up the pike Jarvan had been using before, lifting it and looking at it before walking toward Jarvan again. "Just one thing before I kill you; how did you convince Garen that you weren't an imposter?" He asked.

Jarvan smirked at his imposter. "You're a witch, aren't you? Use some blood magic to improve your acting."

The prince frowned. "At least you'll die with the last laugh." He said, and then raised the pike...

And swung at the glaring, smirking face of Prince Jarvan IV.

* * *

Instead of separating head from body, the pike was stopped by a shield of magic.

The prince was knocked back by the recoil of the shield, and Jarvan was left in surprised shock at his life suddenly being saved.

But by who?

"What is the meaning of this!?" The prince shouted, enraged and looking around with a glare.

There was the sound of something whistling in the air, and both the prince and Jarvan turned their heads to see a wand, engraved with golden wire and topped with the head of Demacia's prestigious Academy of Magic, spinning in the air toward a peity figure at the door to the audience hall.

The figure, walking forward, caught the wand in her hand, and then turned her eyes toward the prince.

"And another comes to-" The prince began to say, but stopped when he looked at his hand, which he was raising, begin to change.

He looked at himself as his entire form began to change, a surprised look on his face until all of him turned into the form of a beautiful woman wearing only a leather outfit of black straps and a short, brown skirt.

She looked at herself, and then turned a mildly surprised expression on the newcomer. She shrugged to herself. "At least both Crownguards will be out of the way." She said and held out her hand, conjuring a staff in her hands. "However, I suppose you'll work as a disguise to leave." She added.

The smaller female mage clutched the wand in her hand so hard her knuckles were turning white. "You're the one who made my brother go to the dungeon, aren't you?" She asked through gritted teeth.

The woman female put his left hand on her hip and leaned on her staff. "If you mean Garen, yes and no. Part of that blame belongs to the prince behind me." She answered. "If he had said nothing, and stayed where I left him, none of this would have ever happened; you'd still be able to attend your school, he would still be risking his life on the battlefield fighting Noxus, Xin over there wouldn't be going back to Noxus, and, of course, the prince would still be alive and well. To be honest, it's his fault." She said, stepping out of the way and tilting her head toward the bound Jarvan.

"If it will make you feel better, you can kill him for me. I may even let you live." She offered.

In response, the smaller mage swung her wand at the woman, sending out a collected form of light magic.

The older mage _tss-tss_'ed her, and stepped out of the way of the orb of magic. She smiled as she spoke. "You're out of your league, little girl."

The younger mage let out a breath, and smiled back at her. "No, you're in mine." She added, and then held out her opened hand and made a clinched her fist.

The older mage's smile vanished, and she turned her head when she heard a whistling sound behind her... and her eyes widened.

The magic orb of light magic began to intensify in brightness for a second, and then exploded into a blinding flash.

Jarvan, knowing of this magic, had already turned his head away and closing his eyes tightly, avoiding the blinding light. The imposter, however, did not know about this magic, a highly kept secret of the Academy of Magic reserved for the students and teachers only, and so would not have known that this would be such an brilliant light.

The best comparison would be a cloudless, bright and sunny day against a land of pure, white snow.

In nature, this was blinding. With magic, the effect was burning.

The imposter screamed in pain, turning her head away and shutting her eyes too late as her retinas burned from the light; her superiority and expectence that she was in complete control quickly turning against her as all she could think to do was use her magic.

In an instant, following the explosion of light, the room was filled with duplicates of the imposter, all stumbling around and just as blind as the original.

In the confusion, the imposter lost control of her other spells, the chains that held Xin Zhao and Jarvan IV bound were dispelled.

Jarvan immediately rose, picking up his pike as he did, and struck where he had last seen the original imposter.

He missed, but that did not discourage him. "Luxana!" He said. "Get the guards!" He said.

Lux pouted at him. "How many times do I have to tell you to call me Lux!" She asked.

"This isn't the time! We have to-" He began to say, but stopped when he saw a number of guards enter the room and run by the door.

Lux smiled at him, placing her hands behind her back and leaning on one leg innocently. "Mr. Zhao asked some guards to guard the room, and I may have convinced them to let me look in."

* * *

_After several hours..._

Jarvan smiled as he handed over a bag of coins. "Thank you for your help, Lady Vayne. It's good to know that, for the first time in months, the palace is free of Noxian spies." He said with a genuine tone.

Shauna Vayne accepted the payment. "It's always a pleasure to hunt witches, My Lord." She said with a respectful vow.

After the events in the audience hall, Xin Zhao, after being woken up by Jarvan IV and making sure he was not an imposter, had recruited the aid of House Vayne's own Night Hunter to purge the palace.

With Shauna's expertise in hunting magic users, whether good or evil, and the cooperation of the entire palace guards, soldiers, and royal family, the hunt had been taxing but fruitful.

Four from the palace, Noxians, had been revealed and executed, two of whom were council members and the other two whom were impersonating the soldiers who had returned with the fake Jarvan. The woman who had impersonating Jarvan had been found and her body was not being removed from the palace's courtyard.

Garen was there as well, with his sister Lux at his side, smiling like a big kid. "It's good to have you back, my prince, but shouldn't you be resting?" He asked.

Lux gave her brother a shove, forcing him back into his seat. "Shouldn't you? You were almost named a traitor! Do you know what happens in the dungeon? You're locked in a smelly cage with rats and bugs and moss with only rude and mean people to talk to who throw their feces at each other!" She declared with a disgusted look on her face.

Garen only laughed. "And I'm sure both you and mom would have me bathing for weeks for every minute I was there."

Lux pouted at him. "No! Months! Just to clean all the mean off you!" She added.

Jarvan laughed at this, and then looked toward an approaching messenger. "How is Xin Zhao doing?" He asked.

The messenger smiled. "The Seneschal is making a full recovery, but is he currently asleep. There is a medic shift arranged to see to him every hour." He reported, and then removed a sealed letter from his bag. "His Majesty, your father, requests your presence when you are finished here." He said.

Jarvan accepted the letter, broke the seal, and began reading it. "My father will have to wait. Right now, our forces have to be called back and into better positions." He said, and then turned to Garen and smiled. "You asked about my friend earlier, remember? How would like to meet her?" He asked.

Garen looked to his prince and nodded proudly. "It would be an honor to meet the one who saved you." He replied.

"Good, because you and your Dauntless Vanguard will be replacing her while she rests and sees her new home." Jarvan said, more as a friendly order.

Lux frowned, and then smiled. "Oh! I volunteer to be her official tour guide!" She exclaimed.

Jarvan nodded. "You will get to meet her, but I promised her that I would show her around part of the city." He said as he began to write out new orders.

"By the way..." Vayne said. "Miss Buvelle is having her concert soon. Best by your friend a ticket before they sell out." She added before she began walking away, waving a ticket in her hand.

* * *

_"Your mission was a failure then..."_

_"I'm mostly blind, but at least I got these."_

_"Are those?"_

_"Not so angry anymore, are we?"_

_"This still complicates things, Matron."  
_

_"For now, yes, but there will be another chance for me and my people to do our work."_

_"No. If you are lost, that in will be too great of a blow to us."_

_"Oh? Then we will not be going?"_

_"... I will make arrangements... and tie up loose ends."_

* * *

**_Author's Note:_**

_Thank goodness. I can get back to Ionia and the mages group. Also, I had more fun with this Demacia-centered chapter more than I thought I would. Anyway, hope everyone enjoyed._


	9. Chapter 9: A Bitter(ish) Farewell

**_Author's Note:_**

_Hmm. I should probably go ahead and explain something before I got back to Ionia._

_Hope everyone enjoys the chapter:_

_Also, I wanted to do something a little different._

* * *

_-Demacia-_

_Damn that lucky brat!_

_She was supposed to be at the school learning petty tricks! When did she learn to use magic like that?_

-hands against the wall for balance and sight-

_The next time we meet, I'll make sure her life becomes hell!_

_First... I need to get out of here before they find me._

_There should be a door- Here it is!_

-opens door and snaps fingers-

-two heavy thuds are heard-

It figures there would be some in here. It doesn't matter. I just need a little bit of blood, and then-

**"Call for the Night Hunter! She's a sorceress!"**

_And then there's her..._

_A little blood won't be enough to trick her. I'll need to hide the body then..._

-hands on the ground, searching, and finally finds one of the two bodies-

_This feels like a... Oh? And the other one is a..._

-on hands and knees, finds the other body-

_They are looking for me as well..._

_Alright then. This one will be my duplicate, and this one will be my way out._

_-cuts hands, conjures magic, places disguises, and dresses up-_

_Ugh! I need to start wearing these more often. I'm going to be covered in cuts and bruises just leaving this place._

_I suppose it does not matter. After all, as long as I get out alive, I can just relax when I get back to the garden._

_..._

_He won't be pleased with this failure._

-opens door and begins to leave, adjusting helmet and ensuring where the most activity is-

_Maybe I should get something that would make forget about this, but what?_

_He does enjoy that maven's shows, foolish as it is to risk coming here, but her tour will end back when it began._

-begins to stagger, acting hurt and exhausted-

**"Are you okay?"**

"Over there! One of them is-"

-falls to knees and holds side with one hand-

"One of them... that way..."

**"Medic! We have a wounded here!"**

-sounds of more coming-

-one helps her up and begins carrying away-

_Luxana Crownguard..._

_The next time we meet-_

-sounds of people running, a scream of fear, and a chase-

_I'll show you where you belong..._

* * *

-_Ionia, Noxian encampment-_

"All forces are falling back to the southern islands! Release the Ionian prisoners and send them north!" Noxian Commander Darius called to his forces.

He let out a short sigh as he looked over the commotion before him, the soldiers moving as ordered, citizens and hostages looking around with confused and cautious faces, and Zaunite chemists and henchmen scrambling to protect their possessions.

"You there!" He called out to one group of Zaunites. "Release those slaves! All Ionians are-"

"Darius!" A rough voice called.

He turned to see Keiran Darkwill approaching, looking as angry as he had before Zaun sent its chemists.

Out of honor for the former Grand General, Boram Darkwill, Keiran's father, Darius saluted the man, though he was not his superior. Jericho Swain, in Darius's eyes, was the man more fit to rule Noxus as its Grand General.

"General Darkwill, sir!" He said as he went to attention.

Keiran pointed toward the chaos before them. "What is the meaning of this!? I did not give the order to fall back, and you have the whole army set to return to Noxus! Explain yourself!" He demanded.

Darius, unnerved by the man's angry tone, remained at attention. "A Voidborn by the name of Cho'Gath has come to the island. It demanded the Ionian people." He replied.

The general was equally unnerved. "A Voidborn? Here of all places?" He asked, perhaps slightly perplexed but it was difficult to tell. "And I suppose this 'Voidborn' saved the three prisoners you were ordered to execute as well?" He shouted, and then turned toward the troops to address them.

"All of you! Back to your posts! Until I see this giant cockroach, nothing has changed!"

Darius's eyes turned to a sudden and quiet sound nearby, and then gasped and stepped back when he saw a large creature, another Voidborn, emerge from the ground.

It was as big as a bull, had two large arms that it used to prop its armor plated body up, a shark-like fin along its back, a lower half that consisted of a long tail and two stubby legs, and a mouth like a spider's. Its eyes were covered by a plate over most of its face, but it was clear who was the center of its attention.

It hissed from behind Keiran, trails of venomous saliva dripping from its fangs, and breathed on the back of his neck.

Slowly, the general turned around to face the beast, and then watched with wide eyes as it reared back on its short, stubby legs and tail until it reached its full height; roughly three inches taller than Keiran.

"I- is this it? ...commander?" Keiran asked with a shaky tone; glancing back toward the commander.

Darius, one hand maintaining the salute and the other going to his weapon, shook his head no.

"Well... talk to it! The other one didn't kill you." Keiran ordered, more out of fear for his life than for diplomacy.

The creature raised it's left arm toward Darius and held it's clawed hand toward him; "Stay out of this."

Darius, wisely, moved his hand from his weapon and cleared his throat, and then looked back to Keiran and shook his head; appearing calmed down by this.

Keiran gritted his teeth. What else should he have expected from Swain's lap dog?

He looked back at the Void creature. "What do you want, creature? I'm very busy." He said sternly, attempting to make himself sound confident and authoritative.

The creature stared at Keiran, its hissing finally stopped, and backed away before going back down on its front legs. It pointed at Keiran then to Darius then toward the people and finally back to Darius.

* * *

"How is Master Sin?" Karma asked as Soraka approached her.

The fallen celestial smiled a small smile, but the ghost of horror was still evident on her face. "He will live, but... his eyes..." She shook her head. "His eyeballs have melted from the heat. Had I noticed before..." She looks away. "The sockets are sealed shut, like wax on a candle. If they are removed, blood will leak into his skull." She explains sadly.

She had seen the horrors of war first hand, having helped heal the wounded time and time again, day after day. She gave life to those who would otherwise have lost theirs, but, in exchange, she knew they would never be the same.

The duchess nods soberly. "I understand. Stay with him in case he needs more help." She says with a soft tone. She looks toward the two, circling one another still like cats about to fight over territory. "I will speak with them before Udyr gets himself killed." She says, and then begins to walk toward the two of them.

* * *

"Make them leave... Now!" Syndra demanded, her fists clenched and power sparking off her body.

Goau remained calm, disappointed that Yasuo couldn't keep all of his people concealed until they were at least leaving the island but at the same time did not know how many people would be with him. "Alright Syndra, we, meaning you, have two choices here." He said calmly.

He held up one finger before continuing, and in an attempt to keep her from interrupting. "First, we can stand here arguing about this, mostly you yelling at me or trying to attack the Ionians in the ziggurant." Which she had already done, but, thankfully, he was not without his own magic to counter hers.

He held up a second finger. "Or, two, we can get back to Valoran, and drop them off as soon as we are over land." He added. "Personally, I don't mind staying for a little while longer, but, considering there is a Voidborn here who wants to enslave all Ionians, you being one of them, I think you would want to leave as soon as possible." He added with a smile.

The sorceress ground her teeth and thrust a hand toward her former prisoner, now her home and fortress. "You told them to go into my sanctuary, _my_ place of personal triumphant from the tyranny and oppression of those who wanted to control me, without my consent!? And you were going to keep this from me!" She demanded, her emotions strengthening her own and making it act even more violently.

Goau nodded calmly, as though he were used to speaking to her in this way; which he was. "Considering this would be how you'd react-" he says, gesturing toward her. "Why would I talk to you about it?" He asks with a slightly raised eyebrow.

He was fully aware that his words were angering the sorceress more and more, but he also knew that, from what Veigar had told him on their way here, that a Voidborn had laid claim to all of the Ionians, threatened the Noxian forces to all but completely withdraw from the islands, and now he felt he could get away with antagonizing to make her either waste time or let the panic overwhelm her and cause he to literally pick up her fortress and leave.

With Yasuo and his friends already inside, it was only a matter of time until...

"Fine then." Syndra said, visibly calming down as she physically relaxed and started to walk past him.

Goau followed her movements, turning his head and body to watch her before walking slightly behind her. "Then you realize it's more important to get away from the otherworldly demon-dug that will likely be coming after us with the fury of hell itself?" He asked.

"No." She replied simply. "I just don't see the point of arguing with you when I can just throw them off once we're over sea." She added causally.

Goau very nearly fell face first onto the ground at this, but managed to catch himself and walk normally. He shook his head and sighed. "What if I agree to do you third of the chores for a month?" He asked.

"Make it six, and I might forget about them if they remain out of my sight and as silent as corpses." She said with a dark grin.

"One of these days... this good-guy act had better pay off." He muttered to himself. He silently told himself that it wouldn't, except in self-gratitude later, but there was always the chance that Karma would come through for him. Maybe it would save him from a life-or-death situation.

He perked up a little and put his hands behind his head as he continued to follow her. "By the way, I think you'd make a great slave. After all, you could keep the others in chec-"

"A year." Syndra said simply.

"Totally worth it." He said, giving the peace sign to those watching them with a broad smile on his face.

* * *

It did not take long for Syndra's ziggurant to be raised from Ionia, and it took even less time with Xerath adding a portion of his power to her own. After all, they were trying to get away from a Voidborn as quickly as possible. At least Goau did not have to help with that, but he and Veigar did have their own jobs to do.

Life as a band of traveling mages was not as impressive as one might think. True, between the four of them, they were powerful to challenge the wholes of Demacia and Noxus single-handily, but that did not mean they weren't normal people. Each had their own reason for staying with the others. In Goau's case, he was, simply put, working for Xerath as a kind of magic generator in exchange for a place to call home.

So long as he stayed and followed Xerath's instructions, Xerath would teach Syndra some of his spells and tutor her in the secrets of magic if she would let Goau stay in a part of her ziggurant as if it were his home. Of course, being the power-hungry sorceress that she was, Syndra agreed with only a few moments of thoughts.

Knowing her now, Goau liked to think that she would have reconsidered if she knew more about him, and instead tried to convince Xerath that she could help him instead. Too bad for her, but Goau vastly exceeded her in the amount of magical energy he could use and release without harming himself.

Veigar had joined their group during a visit to Noxus in which Xerath went to meet with the Grand Command there. Goau and Syndra were purchasing supplies and materials when the dark sorceror had entered the city.

At the time, the two of them had assumed he was a slave to a member of the Black Rose, a secret society within Noxus that Xerath did, from time to time, have communications with, but, as the yordle drew attention from the guards, it became clear that he was, at best, an unknown visitor to the city.

Veigar had thought that Syndra was a member of the Black Rose, or at least one of the mages associated with them, and began demanding where their hideout was so he could "_decimate the true of power of Noxus of with real black magic"_, but that only led to him stalking them in a poor manner. To the city guards, it was a welcome change to their otherwise mundane and pointless duty.

In a place where the city guard was in charge of protecting only the nobility and secret societies, those who were tasked with patrolling the city itself had nothing to do put walk the streets of Noxus and look as menacingly as possible to visitors. Ordinary citizens could, and were expected to, handle themselves.

By the time they returned to the ziggurant, with Veigar still following them, Syndra had tried to make him leave once, and then tried to actually kill him.

Even Xerath was impressed by both Veigar's tremendous power... and his lack of aim when it came to using his spells. Veigar did improve over time, once he joined their group, but only Goau remembered that their meeting was from a misunderstanding that only kept changing. Even now, the yordle believed Syndra was trying to get into the Black Rose and that Xerath was the one evaluating her for a position.

Ordinarily, Goau and Veigar were in charge of keeping the ziggurant's rooms and halls clean and free of any vermin that happened to either wander in search of food, a hiding place, or to make a nest when they landed, or to check for stowaways when they were traveling. Syndra's only chores were to keep the place flying and ensure they could fight off attackers from below. Xerath had taken on the role as mentor to the three of them, though he was not the best of teachers.

Since Goau had agreed to take on Syndra's chores for a year in exchange for the Ionian refugees escaping their home and the tryanny they were otherwise destined for, he would have to be on lookout duty for fire from below. Considering it was Voidborn he would have to be alert for, he decided to watch from outside the ziggurant, and so he went to the steps to look out over the land they were leaving.

"Let's see... I've got that runes Xerath made for me, but I shouldn't have to use any of _those _spells." Goau said to himself as he walked through the doorway and to the outside of the ziggurant.

It was well made, all things considering, it only took a little effort on their part to make it so people could walk around outside the ziggurant while it was, as he liked to refer to it, in flight mode. The stones were shaped with magic to be widened, creating a walkway, and a few railings were in place to make it safer for him and Veigar; though they were still incomplete. Still, it was safer than the narrow one-foot ledges that surrounded it before.

As he walked around, looking over the runes he had before placing them back into his pockets, he stopped, listened, and watched a piece of green armor came tumbling off the steps of the ziggurant, and then over the side. He looked up to where the armor had come from... and saw someone there.

It looked like a young man, a strong one by the way his chest seemed to bulk out, but it seemed odd to him that he was holding a large, broken broad sword.

"Hey! You up there!" He called out, cupping his hands over his mouth, and the man flinched and seemed to turn his head of white hair to him. "Two things: first, don't let the scary silver-haired woman in black see you; and second, if you're going to jump, reconsider!" He added.

The man turned his head away from him.

Goau lowered his arms and resumed walking, heading toward a set of stairs that had been carved out of the stone. They weren't carved by normal means though, but by magic as part of Xerath's training. It was a good idea, altering the ziggurant to make it more liveable for several people and calling it training, but it also led to the possibility of damaging it beyond repair... hence why Syndra's control of it became better with time. There was less stone to move.

As he neared the top, he realized that the young man was actually a young woman. _"Short hair, wearing armor, carrying a sword... they could have been muscular pecks."_ He scolded to himself. Though, as much as Syndra showed herself off, it was understandable for him to confuse an average woman with a veteran soldier... right?

When he reached the top, he also realized that this was not an Ionian woman. "So..." He began as he sat down at the top of the stairs. "My name is Goau, but with a 'u' at the end instead of an 'l'." He said into the silence.

The tanned woman said nothing as she sat there, only looked at the broken blade she had on her lap. She seemed to be lost in her own thoughts, but what those thoughts were made him wonder why she was here when only Ionians should have known this place would be taking off. It wasn't like raising the massive stone structure was an easy and quick process, and it was hard to miss the large shadow it cast.

So, whatever this woman wanted, she was not bothered by her place of rest suddenly moving.

"Could you leave me alone? I don't want to be around anyone right now." She said quietly and with a sad tone.

There was a past to her, he knew that immediately, but there was still a problem at hand. "This building belongs to a friend of mine." He began. "She's not a nice person, probably one of the worst I'll ever meet in my life. She's killed her master, an elderly man who only wanted the best for you, by throwing him against a wall until he was a bloody mess, and then stole this place of great historical and cultural value from her own people.

"Heck, the only reason she's helping her people, and I use the words very loosely, is because I worked out an agreement with her to take them to safety." He finished with a slight chuckle. "She'd probably like you a little more than me." He added.

The woman said nothing, but, when he glanced back to her, he saw the hint of a smile.

"As soon as we get to the mainland of Valoran, we'll be landing to get the Ionian's off. If you ask Syndra, the friend I was telling you about, she'll most likely let you tag along with us for a little longer." Goau offered. "But I won't be able to help negotiate." He added after a moment of thought.

The woman shook her head before speaking. "Do you know about the war between Demacia and Noxus?" She asked.

"A little. My friends and I have had contact with Noxus, mostly to make sure they don't attack us and we don't attack them." He replied. A loose alliance was the best way he could describe it, but it was also just as he said. Veigar hated it, Xerath and Syndra were indifferent to it, and Goau liked the fact that their magic wouldn't be used to blast scores of Noxian soldiers, nuke the city with magic, and generally using human target dummies.

"I need to get to the front-lines, where they are fighting." She told him. Her tone was different, determined, but there was something else there that he didn't know.

He glanced over to her, and then looked back toward the passing ground, now floating over the sea. "You sure about that? I think saving the rest of the Ionians from that Voidborn would be an easier task." It wasn't a joking reply, but one to alert her of the danger she was walking into.

"I've heard a rumor of someone there... fighting for Noxus." She answered. "I don't know what will happen after that."

Goau chose not to reply to that.

_"I don't know what will happen after that."_ Those were similar words he had told himself not too long ago, and he could sympathize with her in that.

"Goau!"

The two of them looked toward the source of the shout, the woman turning her head to see where he only had to look down and to the left.

There, coming from the entrance inside the ziggurant, was Veigar, armed with his staff but missing his gauntlet... but he was not empty-handed.

In his other hand was a spear-like dagger.

"You may want to go inside." Goau informed the woman as he rose and started down the ziggurant's steps to meet up with Veigar, who was now running toward him as well. "She couldn't have waited a few days until we landed?" He asked sarcastically as he met up with his friend.

The yordle came up to him and groaned. "One of these days..." He said as he offered the dagger to Goau. "She'll leave me alone."

Goau accepted the dagger, knowing what was to come, and held it with average proficiency.

Around them, a dark fog began to appear, along with a voice that called from another world. "Vengeance can be yours... for a price."

* * *

_Long in coming, but I hope to be attempt to be more active._


End file.
